
OF 



ABM I RAL D. G . Far RAGUT 



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vetai o7 . ) 



THE LIFE 



OF 



DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT, 

FIRST ADMIRAL OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY, 



EMBODYING HIS 



JOURJ^AL ANT> LETTEES. 



BY HIS SON, 

LOYALL FAKEAGUT. 



WITH PORTRAITS, MAPS, AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 



NEW YORK: 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 

549 AND 551 BKOADWAT. 

1879. 







COPTEIGHT BY 

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 

1879. 



Die 



PEEFAOE. 



It was the express wish of Admiral Farragut that his biog- 
raphy should be written by his only son. What would other- 
wise have been a laborious though grateful task, has been very 
much lightened by the fact that so large a portion of the ma- 
terial is from his own hand, clothed in his own characteristic 
language. 

If any undue partiality for his fame and character should be 
apparent in my contributions to the volume, it must be attribu- 
ted to the nearness of our relationship. The element of fihal 
affection for the kindest of fathers is added to the love and ad- 
miration for w brave and skillful commander which are felt not 
only by his own countrymen, but by multitudes of dwellers on 
other shores of the great sea that he sailed for half a century. 

In the preparation of the work I have conferred with sev- 
eral of the Admiral's brother officers, who participated in the 
dangers and triumphs of his battles, and have also freely con- 
sulted the following publications : " Reports of the Secretary of 
the Navy for 1862-65;" "History of the Administration of 
the Department of the GuK in the Year 1862," by James Par- 
ton (New York, 1864) ; " The Eebellion Eecord," by Frank 
Moore (New York, 1861-"ri) ; "Life and Services of Yice- 
Admiral Fan-agut," by P. C. Headley (New York, 1865) ; " The 
American Conflict," by Horace Greeley (Hartford, 1865-67) ; 
"The Lost Cause," by Edward A. Pollard (New York, 1866); 



iv PREFACE. 

" Farragut and our Kaval Commanders," by J. T. Headley (New 
York, 1867) ; " History of the Navy daring the Kebellion," by 
Charles B. Boynton, D. D. (New York, 1868) ; " The Cruise of 
the Franklin," by James E. Montgomery (New York, 1869) ; 
" Camp, Court, and Siege," by Wickham Hoffman (New York, 
1877) ; " Narrative of a Blockade Runner," by John Wilkinson, 
C. S. N. (New York, 1877) ; " Naval Scenes and Eeminiscences 
of the Civil War," by Rear-Admiral H. Walke, U. S. N. (New 
York, 1877) ; " The Battle of Mobile Bay," by Commodore 
Foxhall A. Parker, U. S. N. (Boston, 1878) ; lecture on "Naval 
Operations during the Civil War in the United States," by 
Bear- Admiral E.. Y. Hamilton, C. B. (London, 1878) ; Secretary 
Welles's articles in the " Galaxy " and " Atlantic Monthly " ; 
and files of the great dailies published during the war. Com- 
modore Parker's monograph is especially valuable, as a close 
and accurate study of a complicated battle. 

My acknowledgments are due to Mr. Rossiter Johnson, for 
his editorial skill in revising my manuscript and preparing it 
for the press. 

L. F. 

New Yoek, September i, 1879. 



OOJ^TEI^TS. 



CHAP. PAOE 

I. His Ancestors ...... 1 

II. His Boyhood ....... 8 

III. His First Cruise . . . . . . . 12 

IV. Cruise in the Pacific . . . . . . .19 

V. His First Battle — Loss of the Essex — ^Return to New York . 32 

VI. School at Chester — Crosses the Atlantic . . . .49 

VII. A Cruise in the Mediterranean ..... 56 

VIII. Study and Travel in Tunis . . . . . .61 

IX. His Relations with Charles Folsom — Quarantined at Leghorn — ^Adven- 
tures at Pisa ....... 71 

X. His First Promotion — A Supposed Pirate — Adventures in Mexico . 81 
XI. A Cruise in the West Indies against the Pirates — His First Command 

—Yellow Fever ....... 91 

XII. His Marriage — Voyage to France with Lafayette — A Winter in the 
Mediterranean — A Visit to New Haven — Establishes a School — 
Revolutions in Buenos Ayres — The Brazilian Court — Chased by a 
Pirate — At Charleston during the Nullification Troubles — Farragut 
as an Executive Officer — Making Combs — A Strange Disease — He 
takes Command of the Boxer — Letter from Commodore Porter . 103 

XIII. At Home in Norfolk — He takes Command of the Erie — The Bombard- 

ment of San Juan de Ulloa — Observations and Opinions on the Bat- 
tle — Death of Mrs. Farragut ..... 124 

XIV. Appointments and Exercise on Shipboard — Visits from Celebrities — 

Farragut receives a Commission as Commander — The Brazilian 
Station — A Bull-Fight — He takes Command of the Decatur — Gover- 
nor Rosas — A Singular Festival — A Difficult Manoeuvre — Up the 
Parahyba — An Earthquake at Sea ..... 137 
XV. Marriage to Miss Loyall — Service on the Pennsylvania — The Mexican 
War — His Eagerness to Capture the Castle of San Juan de Ulloa — 
His Disappointment — Return to Norfolk Navy-yard — Lectures, Ex- 
periments, and Authorship ..... 155 
XVI, Service in California — The Vigilance Committee — Cruise of the Brook- 
lyn — Peculiar Service in Mexico . . . . .168 



vi CONTENTS. 

CHAP. PAGE 

XVII. The Question of Allegiance, and its Answer . , . 202 

XVIII. The Expedition against New Orleans .... 207 

XIX. The River Fight— Capture of the City— Detailed Report— Poetry 228 

XX. From New Orleans to Vicksburg — The Government's Plan, and 
Farragut's — Passage of the Batteries at Vicksburg — Breckin- 
ridge's Attack on Baton Rouge — Destruction of the Ram Ar- 
kansas ........ 261 

XXI. Return to New Orleans — Destruction of Donaldsonville — Commis- 
sioned Rear-Admiral — Duties at Pensacola — Banks supersedes 
Butler — Disaster at Galveston — Farragut proposes an Expedi- 
tion against Port Hudson ..... 290 

XXII. Passing the Batteries at Port Hudson . . . .313 

XXIII. At Vicksburg — Correspondence with General Grant and Admiral 

Porter — Loss of the Indianola and Lancaster . . 336 

XXIV. Patrolling the River — Appeals for Iron-clads — The Siege of Port 

Hudson — Correspondence with Banks and Porter . . 357 

XXV. Arrival at New York — A Welcome by Prominent Citizens — Resolu- 
tions of the Chamber of Commerce . . . . 3 84 

XXVI. In the Gulf again — Blockading Mobile— Opinions on National Af- 
fairs — Preparations for the Battle .... 390 

XXVII. The Battle of Mobile Bay — Description of the Defenses — Dispo- 
sition of the Fleet — Running by the Forts — Sinking of the 
Tecumseh — The Encounter with the Ram — Chasing the Enemy's 
Gunboats — Surrender of Fort Gaines — Incidents — Dispatches — 
Poetry. . . .... 407 

XXVIII. British Opinions of the Victory — The Capture of Fort Morgan — The 
Harmony between Land and Naval Forces — Extracts from Let- 
ters — Why Farragut was not sent to Wilmington . . 461 
XXIX. Return to the North — Presentation of a House — Why Farragut 
was ordered to the James — Enters Richmond — Speech at Nor- 
folk ........ 474 

XXX. The Rank of Admiral — Cruise of the Franklin in European Waters 

— Farragut's Journal ...... 485 

XXXI. His Last Days— Visit to Vallejo— Death— The Funeral— Memorials 539 
XXXII. Anecdotes and Characteristics — Religious Sentiments — Conclusion 543 

Chronology ........ 551 

General Index ........ 553 

Appendix ......... 571 



THE LIFE 



DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 



CHAPTER I. 

HIS ANCESTOES. 

On the blank leaf of a Bible in the possession of the family 
of Admii'al Farragut appears the following record, written in a 
bold and legible hand : 

" My Son : Your father^ George Farragut^ was horn in the 
Island of Minorca, in the Mediterranean, in 1755, the 29th of 
September, in Ciudadella, and came away from that Island the 
'2d day of April, 1772 — came to America in Ma/rch, 1776. 
Your mother, Elizabeth Shine, was horn in North Carolina, 
Dohhs Co., near Kinnston on the Neuse Ri/ver, in 1765, on the 
7th of June. Her father, John Shine — mother, Ellenor 
Mclven.''^ 

This is corroborated by an entry in the books of the ecclesi- 
astical court of Ciudadella, which, being translated, reads as 
follows : 

"iVb. 155. George Farragut, son of Anthony Farragut 
OMd Juana Mesquida, was baptized on the 30th of September, 
1755. The godfather, Don Joseph de Vigo ^ godmother, the 



2 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEKAGUT. 

noble lady Dona Juana Martorell. The name of the child, 
George Anthony Magin. He was horn on the Wth of the 
aforesaid month and yearP 

George Farragut was descended from the renowned Don 
Pedro Ferragut, who served under James I., King of Aragon, 
styled in history El Conquistador, in the campaigns which re- 
sulted in the expulsion of the Moors from Majorca in 1229, and 
from Valencia in 1238. In Majorca Don Pedro was Sergeant 
before the King — an office of high honor and importance, held 
only by those of noble blood. James bestowed estates upon 
the knights who accompanied him in these enterprises, and di- 
rected the troubadom* Mossen Jaime Febrer to celebrate them 
in verse. The following is the stanza devoted to Pedro Fer- 
ragut : 

Sobre camp bermell una ferradura 

De finisim or, ab un clau daurat, 

Pere Ferragut pinta, 6 en tal figura 

Esplica lo agnora. La historia asegura 

Ser aragones, de Jaca baixat. 

Apres que en Mallorca servi de sargent, 

Venint a Valencia, hon gran renom guanya 

De expert capita per lo dilitgent; 

Los anys, 6 sucesos lo feren prudent. 

Tg en lo pelear gran cordura 6 manya, 

Pergue k totes armes facilment se apanya. 

The late Henry Howard Brownell, on reading these lines, 
extemporized the following translation, which is sufficiently 
literal : 

A charger's shoe is borne on bis shield, 
Of purest gold, on a blood-red field, 
Set thereon with a nail of the same : 
Thus we know him, device and name. 
From Jaca, in Aragon, he came. 
At Mallorca and Valencia both, 
"Well he quitted his knightly troth, 
Serving as Sergeant before his liege. 
Through the conquest, in field and siege: 



•*/■ 
•^ 




HIS ANCESTORS. 3 

Strong in battle, by plain or hold, 

Great his fame as a warrior bold, 

And a prudent captain to shun surprise ; 

For years and victories made him wise. 

At every manner of arms expert, 

He did on the foe great spoil and hurt. 

Those who beKeve in the transmission of ancestral traits 
will find a signal illustration of the theory in the character of 
Admiral Farragut. The qualities attributed by the poet to Don 
Pedro were those for which his illustrious descendant was pre- 
eminently distinguished. According to the testimony of his con- 
temporaries in the service, he was one of the best informed and 
most painstaking officers in his profession, irreproachable in his 
morals, earnest and energetic, admitting no such word as fail in 
the vocabulary of duty. 

The records of the General Council of the Kingdom of 
Majorca show that the following members of the family of 
Ferragut were councilors : 

Bernardo Ferragut, of Puebla, in 1461 and 1491. 

Valentin Ferragut, of Puebla, in 1492. 

Julian Ferragut, of Sansellas, in 1500. 

Bernardo Ferragut, in 1505 and 1509. 

Jorge Ferragut, of Sansellas, in 1506. 

Marcos Ferragut, of Sinen, 1512. 

Bartolome Ferragut, in 1513. 

Bernardo Ferragut, in 1516. 

Onofre Ferragut, in 1534. 

Pedro Ferragut, in 1536, 1540, and 1549. 

Gabriel Ferragut, in 1540. 

Lorenzo Ferragut, in 1542. 

Miguel Ferragut, of Sansellas, in 1563. 

Three of the family were magistrates of the City of Palma 
and Kingdom of Majorca : 

Bernardo Ferragut, in 1516. 

Juan Ferragut, in 1583. 

Gabriel Ferragut, in 1585, 1590, and 1605. 

The prebendary Agustin Ferragut, who died ip 1576, was a 



4 THE 'LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

noted tlicologian and benefactor of tlio House of Repentants 
at Pahna. 

Pablo Ferragut was topographer and historian of Majorca. 

Captain Antonio Ferragut, of Cdnaves, fought heroically in 
the wars of Philip TV., in the seventeenth century, died unmar- 
ried, and bequeathed all his property to a college. 

Gonzalo Ferragut, a native of Pollenza, was a Dominican 
priest, was celebrated for his learning, and became Bishop of 
Urgel in 1S27 and of Yoiza in 1831. lie died in 1843. 

The FeiTagut family possessed a large estate and were liv- 
ing in Ciudadclla in 1558, when the Turks carried off 4,000 
of the inhabitants as slaves. Among these was Antonio Fer- 
ragut, with his wife and six children. In February, 1564, the 
father and mother and one son, Constantino, having been ran- 
somed for 34 gold ducats and 53 aspros (about $90), sailed from 
Constantinople for Minorca. Miguel Ferragut, a priest, was 
conspicuous for his exertions in procuring the exchange and re- 
lease of the captives. One of them, Marco Antonio Bonet, 
writing to a Dr. Mai-ti, of Naples, said : " True it is that Miguel 
Ferragut, presbyter, solicits well that with which you have com- 
missioned him — so well that, as I am informed, no one of our 
country could do more in such an undertaking ; and, if they had 
given him higher powers, many of us would have acquired our 
liberty." Miguel himself said in a letter : " I am tired of stay- 
ing in this place (Constantinople), but if I leave it there will be 
no one to interest himself for our unfortunate countrymen." 

Antonio Ferragut, grandfather of the Admiral, was born in 
Sinen, Majorca, and was a son of Jorge and of Ursula Guitaii;. 
He married Juana Mesquida, daughter of Juan and Juana 
Bagur. The name Ferragut is now extinct in Minorca. It 
seems to have been superseded by that of Mesquida. 

George Farragut, father of the Admiral, was sent to school 
at Barcelona, but was seized with the spirit of adventure, and 
emigrated to America at an early age — but not with the 1,500 
Greeks, Italians, and Minorcans who settled in Florida in 17C8. 
He arrived in 1776, promptly sided with the colonists, and 
served gallantly in their struggle for independence, as also in 



HIS ANCESTORS. 5 

the war of 1812. It is said that he saved the life of Colonel 
Wa.sliin^jn in the battle of Cowpens. The name firHt appears 
officially in tlie Journal of the JJoubo of Itepresentatives of the 
United States for 1797. Hon. William C, C. Claiborne, of 
Tennessee, presented " Tlie petition of George Farra^jt, pray- 
inf^ that lie may be allowed the balance of pay due to him for 
services rendered the United States as Muster Master of the 
Militia of the district of Washin^on (East Tennessee), em- 
ployed in actual service for the protection of tlic frontiers of 
the United States south of the Ohio, from the Ist of March, 
1792, to the 20th of October, 1798." 

L^ter, ]\Jr. Claiborne became Governor of Mississippi Terri- 
tory (1801) and of Louisiana (1803). It was probably during 
this interval that George Farragut moved to Louisiana, where 
he soon after entered the naval service. 

Until 1811 there was substantially no government on the 
Mississippi and Louisiana coast. The Spaniards claimed the 
seaboard, as far as Pearl liiver, as part of their j>rovince of 
"West Florida. But the American w;ttlers in the district re- 
volted, assaulted and took the Spanish fort at Baton Rouge, 
adopted a ikg, and organized a government and a military force. 

In taking possession of the disputed territory, by orders 
from "Washington, Governor Claiborne organized it into coun- 
ties. Tlie present seaboard of Mississippi constituted the coun- 
ties of Biloxi and Pascagoula. 

A dispatch to the Governor, which he forwarded to "Wash- 
ington, runs as follows : 

" On the 2d of December, 1810, I arrived in the Bay of 
Pascagoula. On going on shore next day, a number of men 
gathered around and said Majors Ilargraves and Dupree wished 
to see me. I said I would call the following morning. Ac- 
cordingly, on the 4th I found the house of the late John B. 
Nicolet. On my arrival they ran up the flag of the Conven- 
tion. Next day pressed John B. Boudro's schooner and two 
others owned by Anthony Krebs and Augustine, a mulatto. 
These they brought before Mr. Nicolet's house, and loaded with 



6 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

negroes, dry goods, liquors, provisions, furniture, etc., the prop- 
erty of deceased. Next day they proceeded up the Pascagoula 
River. Peter Nicola was appointed commandant of Pascagoula, 
with orders to comjDel the inhabitants to swear allegiance to the 
new government. Keturning westward, I found Nicola at Pass 
Christian, ordering the inhabitants to Pascagoula to take the 
oath. There were no Spanish authorities on the coast. They 
had retired to Mobile. 

" Geokge Faeeagut." 

On January 25, 1811, Governor Claiborne dispatched a Dr. 
Flood, in the felucca Alligator, Sailing Master George Farra- 
gut, to those counties, to select a commission of the most intel- 
ligent men as magistrates, etc. In his report. Dr. Flood says 
that, " at the special request of the inhabitants of Pascagoula, 
by whom he is greatly beloved, I prevailed on Sailing Master 
George Farragut to accept the commission of magistrate." 

Whether he severed his connection with the service at this 
time, I have no record ; but as Lieutenant (afterward Major- 
General) Gaines was appointed to the same oflSce, and retained 
his commission in the service, it is to be presumed that it was 
merely a temporary post of honor, no emoluments being at- 
tached to the office. 

He was a friend and companion of General Jackson, and 
served with him in the Indian campaigns. He removed to 
Pascagoula in 1809, and died at Point Plaquet, West Pasca- 
goula, June 4, 1817, aged sixty-three. A son, George Antoine, 
aged ten, was drowned in July, 1815, having fallen overboard 
from a boat in which he was being towed behind a schooner. 
This circumstance weighed heavily on the fathei-'s mind to the 
day of his death. 

On his mother's side, Admiral Farragut came of the good 
old Scotch family of Mclven. In his journal, begun while he 
was a midshipman, he speaks thus of his parents : " I know that 
my father was an officer in the Kevolutionary struggle for our 
independence ; but whether on land or water, I can not say. In 
fact, his occupations were as various as could be expected of a 



HIS ANCESTOES. 7 

restless disposition and a mind filled with enterprise, courage, 
and a desire for novelty. At one time we hear of him as an 
officer of the N^avy, and then in the somewhat novel character, 
for a sailor, of a major of cavahy, in the State of Tennessee. 
He accompanied two gentlemen, McKay and Ogden, on an ex- 
pedition to sm*vey and settle a part of that State, where they 
lived for some time in a log hut. After the country became 
more thickly inhabited, he took unto himself a wife. Miss 
Elizabeth Shine, of ISTorth Carolina, and settled in Tennessee 
as a farmer." 



CHAPTEE II. 

HIS BOYHOOD. 

David Glasgow Faekagut, tlie first Admiral of the United 
States Navy, was born at Campbell's Station, near Knoxville, 
East Tennessee, on the 5th of July, 1801. In his journal, 
alluding to the family's early residence in Tennessee, he says : 

" In those days, on the border, we were continually annoyed 
by the Indians, which rendered the organization of the militia 
a pubHc necessity. My father was appointed a major of caval- 
ry, and served for some time in that capacity ; the condition of 
the country requiring its inhabitants to be constantly on the 
outlook. I remember that on one occasion, during my father's 
absence, a party of Indians came to our house, which was some- 
what isolated, when my mother, who was a brave and energetic 
woman, barred the door in the most effectual manner, and sent 
all of us trembling little ones up into the loft of the barn, while 
she guarded the entrance with an axe. The savages attempted 
to parley with her, but she kept them at bay, until finally they 
departed, for some reason which is unknown, their intentions 
having been evidently hostile. My father arrived shortly after 
with his command, and immediately pursued the Indians, whom, 
I believe, he succeeded in overtaking and punishing ; at any 
rate, they were never seen again in that part of the country." 

In 18 — Major Farragut received an appointment as sailing 
master in the Navy, and was ordered to the command of a gun- 
boat at New Orleans, to which place he shortly afterward moved 
his family. It was not long after he fixed his residence in that 
city before his faithful and beloved wife fell a victim to yellow 
fever (1808). Her funeral, according to a letter of the late 



HIS BOYHOOD. 9 

Commodore Daniel T. Patterson, U. S. N., who was a pall- 
bearer, occurred at the same time with that of Sailing Master 
David Porter, father of the celebrated Commodore David 
Porter, of Essex fame. Mrs. Parragut left three sons and two 
daughters, the younger of the latter being an infant at the breast. 
In 1809 Sailing Master Parragut was relieved from com- 
mand of the schooner, and transferred to the naval station at 
!New Orleans. In the same year he purchased a farm of nine 
hundred acres on Pascagoula Piver. In his journal Parragut says : 

" I accompanied a young man whom my father sent to clear 
the place. This expedition was my first experience on salt 
water, and I fervently hoped, at that time, it would be my last. 
He took us in a small boat across Lake Pontchartrain, when it 
was blowing almost a gale ; but that fact never caused my 
father any uneasiness, for he had great confidence in his 
pirogue, considering it much safer than the gunboats. In fact, 
we were hailed when passing them, and invited to ' come on 
board until the blow was over ' ; but he replied that he ' could 
ride it out better than they could.' "When any one suggested 
to him the risk to which he subjected his children in thus cross- 
ing the Lake, he generally replied that ' now was the time to 
conquer their fears.' 

"The most daring enterprise which my father ever per- 
formed by water was in going from Kew Orleans to Havana in 
a pirogue, a species of canoe made of two pieces of wood instead 
of one. The old gentleman frequently adverted to this voyage 
in after life, "When speaking of the good qualities of his little 
yawl, a small boat in which he navigated the Lake, which some 
of his friends thought a dangerous experiment, he would ex- 
claim, ' Danger indeed ! If you had said there was danger in 
going to Havana in a pirogue, there would have been some 
sense in it ; but this thing is as safe as any craft at the levee.' 
This fondness for the sea was very strong with him, but his 
health was not sufficiently good, at that period of his life, to en- 
dure the hardships of actual service, or to indulge in the plea- 
sures of an extended cruise; so he contented himself with 



10 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

making frequent trips across the Lake, with his children, in the 
yawl ; a practice he kept up until the day of his death. 

" When the weather was bad we usually slept on the beach 
of one of the numerous islands in the Lake, or else on the shore 
of the main land, wrapped in the boat sail, and, if the weather 
was cold, we generally half buried ourselves in the dry sand." 

Reference has already been made to Sailing Master David 
Porter. This gentleman was hos]3itably entertained, during his 
last illness, by the parents of Admiral Farragut. To this cir- 
cumstance the latter attributed his apj)ointment to the Kavy. 
The incident no doubt had an important bearing on his career ; 
but it is highly probable that, even if he had never met his 
" kind friend and guardian," as he calls Commodore Porter, to 
whom he acknowledged through life his great obligations, and 
with whom to the last he maintained the closest relations of 
friendship, his early training, his fondness for sea life, and the 
inclinations of his father, who had already procured the ap- 
pointment of his eldest son William in the N"avy, would still 
have given David Glasgow to the same service. The following 
is his own account of the matter : 

" It so happened that the father of Commodore Porter was 
serving on the Kew Orleans l^aval Station with my father. 
He was taken sick, and my father, hearing of it, had him 
brought to our house, where, after a severe illness, during 
which he was nursed by my mother, he died. This, as well as 
I can remember, occurred in 1809. I mention this kind act on 
the part of my parents because it is to this circumstance that I 
am indebted for my present rank in the Navy of the United 
States. JS'ot long after his father's death, Commander David 
Porter took command of the Naval Station at New Orleans, 
and having heard that his father died at our house, and had re- 
ceived some attention from my parents, he determined to visit 
us and adopt such one of the children as desired to go with him. 
He accordingly came to see us, and after a while the question 
of adoption was put to us all, when I, being inspired by his 



HIS BOYHOOD. H 

imiform and that of my brother William, who had received an 
appointment in the Navy some time before, said promptly that 
I would go. This was after my mother's death. I returned 
with Commander Porter to New Orleans, where I met Mrs. 
Porter for the first time. Thus commenced my acquaintance 
with the celebrated Commodore David Porter, late of the 
United States Navy, and I am happy to have it in my power to 
say, with feelings of the warmest gratitude, that he ever was to 
me all that he promised, my ' friend and guardian.' 

" I continued to reside with Commander Porter, occasionally 
accompanying him on excursions and boat expeditions, and 
sometimes going with my father across the Lake to his planta- 
tion ; so that I soon became fond of this adventurous sort of life. 

" Porter was at length relieved, and returned to Washington 
in the bomb-ketch Yesuvius, I accompanying him. It was then 
that I took leave of my kind parent for ever. We touched at 
Havana, where we learned that the brig Yixen, Captain Tripp, 
had been fired into by a British vessel of war. I mention this 
merely because I believe it was the first thing that caused bad 
feeling in me toward the English nation. I was too young to 
know anything about the Revolution ; but I looked upon this 
as an insult to be paid in kind, and was anxious to discharge the 
debt with interest." 

Commander Porter remained at the capital, with his family, 
for several months, during which young Farragut was placed at 
school. On the removal of the Porter family to their residence 
at Chester, Pennsylvania, he accompanied them and was again 
placed in school, where he remained until Commander Porter 
was ordered to take charge of the frigate Essex. During his 
stay at Washington the youth had been introduced to the Hon. 
Paul Hamilton, then Secretary of the Navy, who, after ques- 
tioning him in regard to the service, promised him a midship- 
man's warrant as soon as he became ten years of age. This 
promise was generously redeemed, Farragut's appointment in 
the Navy bearing date December 17, 1810, when he was a little 

more than nine years and five months old. 
2 



CHAPTER III. 

' HIS riKST CRUISE. 

PoRTEE, who, thougli ordered to do tlie duty of a captain, 
was not promoted to that rank till July 12, 1812, took command 
of the Essex in August, 1811, and young Farragut accompanied 
him, beginning at that tender age the arduous duties of the 
naval service, in times and under circumstances well calculated 
to test the endurance of the sturdiest man. The frigate was 
then lying at I*^orfolk, Virginia, and the trip from Chester by 
stage and packet is described in the journal as a long and tedi- 
ous one, with only the upsetting of a stage to vary its monotony. 
His first impressions of the service seem to have been favorable. 
He says : 

" On reaching the Essex, I was exceedingly pleased with the 
ship and her officers. John Downes was the First Lieutenant, 
James P. Wilmer Second, James Wilson Third, William Finch 
Fourth, John M. Gamble Marine Officer, Robert Miller Sur- 
geon, Richard K. Hoffman and Alex. M. Montgomery Assistant 
Surgeons, David P. Adams Chaplain, John R. Shaw Purser. 
The ship was soon refitted and ready for sea, when we received 
orders to join the coast squadron under Commodore Rodgers, 
consisting of the frigates President, States, Congress, and Essex, 
with the brig Argus. ^Nothing occurred of note until we went 
into port to winter. We cruised on the coast, and exercised the 
crews until they were brought to as great a state of perfection 
and discipline as ever existed, probably, in the Navy. Our ship, 
the Essex, was the ' smartest ' in the squadron, and Commodore 
Rodgers complimented our captain highly. So efficient had our 
crew become that they were divided into three watches, and that 
arrangement remained in force until the day of the ship's capture. 



HIS FIKST CRUISE. 13 

"We went to Kewport, Rhode Island, on Christmas eve, 
1811, and anchored off the Bluffs, not being able to bring up in 
the harbor. About four o'clock in the morning it commenced to 
blow very hard from the northeast, with sleet and snow, and we 
let go another anchor, and at half past six let go a third and a 
fourth ; but she dragged the whole of them and went ashore 
just off the Bluffs. She heeled over very much, and in a short 
time the main and mizzen top-gallant masts were blown away, 
everything being so clogged with ice as to render it impossible 
to house the masts. It was understood that we lay on a bank, 
and, if the ship should beat over, nothing could save us from 
being dashed against the cliffs, which seemed a perfect mass of 
ice. The only hope left of saving the lives of the crew was to 
cut away the masts as soon as the ship was sufficiently near the 
bank, and men were accordingly stationed at the galley with 
axes, ready to execute the order — for no one could keep the 
deck. The Captain and First Lieutenant were on the lookout 
by turns, a few minutes only at a time, the cold being so intense 
that one of the men, an Indian or mulatto, was found in his 
hammock frozen. Fortunately, the gale abated at this critical 
period, without doing us any further injury; but there was 
great destruction on the coast from its fearful effects. The ISTau- 
tilus came in soon afterward, with the loss of her guns, and 
otherwise severely crippled. 

" During the remainder of the winter the midshipmen of the 
squadron were sent to school to a Mr. Adams, and early in the 
spring the squadron went to New York, where some of the 
ships underwent repairs." 

On the 18th of June, 1812, the Congress of the United 
States declared war against Great Britain. Our little Navy was 
scarcely in a condition for combined action. A small squadron 
had been brought together in New York, consisting of the Presi- 
dent, 44, Commodore Rodger's ; the Essex, 32, Captain Porter ; 
and the Hornet, 18, Captain Lawrence. The other vessels were 
scattered, some of them undergoing repairs. Commodore Rod- 
gers dropped down the bay with the President and Hornet, and 



14 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

was joined on the 21st of June by tlie United States, 44, Cap- 
tain Decatur; Congress, 38, Captain Smith; and Argus, 16, 
Lieutenant Commander Sinclair. The Essex remained a few 
days in port, overhauling her rigging and restowing her hold. 
She then got to sea and made several prizes, destroying most of 
them and receiving the prisoners on board. 

It is not the purpose of the present work to follow in detail 
the events of the war which shed so much glory upon our in- 
fant Navy, further than the subject of this memoir is connected 
therewith. It was his fortune to belong to a frigate which took 
an active and singularly adventurous part in the contest. The 
eventful cruise of the Essex and her final capture by a superior 
British force, after one of the hardest fought and most sangui- 
nary battles that ever occurred on the ocean, form a remarkable 
episode in naval warfare. 

Farragut was but ten years and one month old when he 
joined his ship, and he bore a gallant part in all her adventures. 
In his journal, which was begun but a few years later, he gives 
the following graphic account of the cruise : 

" The war with Great Britain was declared just after we be- 
gan overhauling. The declaration was read to the crew on 
three successive days, and the Captain put the question to them, 
whether any one wished his discharge on the plea of being a 
British subject. No one answered until the third day, when, in 
the act of taking the oath of allegiance to the United States, 
one man refused, saying that he was an Englishman. He was 
sail-maker's mate, and had been promised the position of sail- 
maker. Unfortunately for him, there was a sailor on board who 
offered to make oath that the fellow was an American, and that 
he had known him from his youth ; that, in fact, they were 
from the same town, Barnstable, I think. The crew were en- 
raged to such a degree that violence would have been done if 
the Captain had not interfered. He determined, however, to 
gratify them to a certain extent, and allowed the man to be 
tarred and feathered and put on shore at New York as a coward. 
This was considered a great outrage on the laws, and Captain 



HIS FIRST CRUISE. 15 

Porter liad some difficulty in getting clear of the civil authori- 
ties. The man, however, who really was an American, and only 
wanted a frolic on shore, which he might have had by asking, 
as great liberty was allowed to the men, afterward served all 
through the war on the Lakes, where he died about its termina- 
tion. 

" The crew worked with great spirit and assiduity, and the 
ship was ready for sea in about three weeks, when we sailed on 
a cruise off the coast, during which we captured the Alert and 
several other prizes. We saw the British ship Antelope, 50 
guns, on the banks of Newfoundland, and ran near enough to 
see her upper deck ports. We then hove to, but she passed 
without noticing us. We also ran into a conyoy of transports 
in the night, passed under the stern of the Minerva frigate, and 
captured a brig with a hundred and fifty troops and some gen- 
eral officers on board. At daylight we showed our colors, and 
perceived that there were several vessels of war with the con- 
voy, and that all of the transports were armed and had some 
hundreds of troops on board. 

" The captured British officers were very anxious for us to 
have a fight with the Minerva, as they considered her a good 
match for the Essex, and Captain Porter replied that he would 
gratify them with pleasure if his Majesty's commander was of 
their taste. So we stood toward the convoy, and when within 
gunshot hove to and waited for the Minerva ; but she tacked, and 
stood in among the convoy, to the utter amazement of our 
prisoners, who denounced the commander as a base coward and 
expressed their determination to report him to the Admiralty. 
Our crew became so wrought up that they sent a deputation aft 
to the Captain, requesting him to attack the whole convoy. He 
replied that it would be madness to do so. He then paroled 
the officers and troops, took their arms from them, and let them 
go. 

" We afterward fell in with the Alert sloop of war, 20 guns, 
at which time the Essex was sailing under reefed topsails, the 
Alert being to windward. As soon as we discovered her in the 
morning, we put out drags astern, and led the enemy to believe 



16 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

we were desirous of making our escape, by sending men aloft, 
shaking out the reefs, mast-heading the yards, and making sail. 
The Alert was deceived in our character, as was the intention, 
and bore down upon us. We w^ent to quarters and cleared for 
action, with the exception of taking out the tompions — our ports 
remaining closed. 

" Suddenly the Alert fired a gun, and we hove to, when she 
passed under our stern. When she was on the lee quarter, we 
changed the English flag for the American, upon which the 
enemy gave three cheers and poured in a broadside of grape and 
canister. Fortunately, she was too far abaft the beam for the 
shot to enter our ports, so that they struck harmlessly in the 
bulwarks. We then put up our helm, and gave her a broadside 
as soon as the guns would bear, tompions and all ! She, of 
course, had now discovered her mistake, and attempted to run, 
but too late, for she was in the lion's reach. In eight minutes 
we were alongside, when she fired a musket and struck her 
colors. They hailed, and said the ship was leaking very badly. 
After we had stopped the leak as well as we could, the oflacers 
were transferred to our vessel, and we took the Alert in tow and 
kept her with us for several days. Finding, however, that our 
ship was too crowded for safety and comfort, the Captain de- 
termined to make a cartel of his prize, and so, disarming her 
and paroling the officers and crew, he sent them in the Alert to 
St. John's, N. F., in charge of Mr. Knight. 

" I will here mention an incident which shows the advantage 
of exercising the men to a certain custom which I have heard 
severely commented on by officers of the ISTavy. It was the 
habit of Captain Porter to sound the alarm of fire at all hours 
of the night ; sometimes he would have a smoke created in the 
main hold. This was for the purpose of testing the nerves of 
the crew, and preparing them for an emergency. Whenever 
this alarm was given, every man repaired promptly to his quar- 
ters with his cutlass and blanket, to await the orders of the com- 
mander. At the commencement of this system a little confu- 
sion would sometimes occur, but delinquents were promptly 
punished, and in a short time the cry of ' Fire ! ' did not affect 



HIS FIRST CRUISE. 17 

the steadiness of tlie men ; on the contrary, the greatest alacrity- 
was manifested throughout the ship on hearing the alarm, and 
the application of the system on the occasion I am about to re- 
late was singularly effective. 

" While the ship was crowded with prisoners they planned a 
mutiny. The coxswain of the captain's gig of the Alert, who 
was a leader in the affair, came to my hammock with a pistol 
in his hand, and stood by it, gazing intently upon me. Seeing 
a man thus armed, and recognizing him as a prisoner, I knew 
there must be something wrong, and, probably from fear more 
than anything else, I remained perfectly motionless until he 
passed. Then, slipping from my hammock, I crept noiselessly 
to the cabin and informed Captain Porter of what I had seen. 
He sprang from his cot, was on the berth deck in an instant, 
and immediately cried ' Fire ! Fire ! ' The effect was wonder- 
ful. Instead of attempting to strike the fatal blow, the prison- 
ers, or mutineers, became alarmed and confused, nor did they 
recover from their stupor until they heard the boarders called 
to the main hatch by the Captain, whom they now saw for the 
first time in their midst, to secure them. 

" Shortly after this we returned to the United States. When 
off N^ew York we fell in with a British squadron. At first we 
discovered some vessels to leeward, and soon there appeared to 
be an engagement going on. The Captain, who had been aloft 
observing them for some time, now came down and told the 
officer of the deck to haul by the wind and make all sail, as he 
was convinced it was an English squadron making a sham fight 
to decoy us down into their clutches, and that they would soon 
show themselves. This proved true, for immediately on our 
making sail they did the same in chase. They turned out to be 
two frigates and a brig, which, as we afterward learned, were 
the Acosta, Shannon, and Ringdove. The Acosta outsailed the 
others, and appeared to gain on us, so that after dark (the weather 
was very thick, and I believe it rained hard all night) the Cap- 
tain called all hands on deck and told them he thought the oc- 
casion favorable to tack ship and board the Acosta, and, if we 
were successful, the lights could be extinguished and the other 



18 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

vessels of the enemy would probably run by us in the dark. 
We were accordingly provided w^ith suitable badges and a pass- 
word. Our ship then tacked and stood in the direction where 
we had last seen the enemy's vessel. As Providence would have 
it, we missed her. The consequences of a collision would have 
been serious indeed. The Acosta was, no doubt, going eight or 
ten knots an hour, and we three or four ; the first shock would 
probably have taken the masts out of both vessels, and numerous 
lives would have been lost in the attempt to board. 

" In ten days we made land off the Capes of Delaware, and 
discovered a schooner in chase of us. We paid no attention to 
her, however, but hove to for a pilot. The stranger came up 
with us and passed, although we tried to bring her to. She 
made sail, and ran in over the shoals. The pilot informed us 
that she was the privateer schooner General Armstrong, and so 
we troubled ourselves no further about her. 

" We went up to New Castle, and thence to Chester, and, 
after overhauling the ship, put to sea again. 

" While in the Delaware, Captain Porter received a challenge 
from Sir James Yeo, off the Capes, couched in heroic language. 
We put to sea immediately, but could not find Sir James." 



CHAPTEK lY. 

CRUISE EST THE PACIFIC. 

While tlie Essex was lying in the Delaware, Captain Porter 
received orders to join the squadron under Commodore Bain- 
bridge, which sailed from Boston on the 26th of October, 1812, 
and consisted of the Constitution, M, and the Hornet, 18. Por- 
ter's orders were, to rendezvous first at Porto Praya in the 
island of St. Jago, and secondly at Fernando ]N"oronha. Other 
places of rendezvous were also designated, and he was further 
instructed to cruise in the track of the British Indiamen until a 
certain time mentioned, when, failing to fall in with his superior 
officer, he was at liberty to act according to his own discretion. 
The Essex sailed from the Delaware on the 28th of October, 
and after proceeding to the different rendezvous, and being dis- 
appointed in all his efforts to fall in with the Commodore, Cap- 
tain Porter determined to act for himself, the result of which 
was the memorable cruise of the Essex in the Pacific Ocean ; 
which, though ending in the capture of the frigate by an over- 
powering force, was nevertheless highly beneficial to our com- 
merce in that far off and then comparatively unknoMOi sea. 
"Without attempting a detailed account of a cruise so well known 
to all readers of naval history, the author purposes merely to 
follow the journal of young Farragut, believing that his im- 
pressions and views, at that early period of his career, in regard 
to the scenes in which he bore a part, can not fail to be of 
interest. After referring to his departure from the Capes of 
Delaware, the journal continues : 

"We visited Fernando de Noronha, and thence sailed to 
St. Catherine in the Eastern Brazils, where we wooded and 
watered. While there, we heard that the British man-of-war 



20 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

Montague, Y4, was in the offing. We put to sea that night, but 
never saw her. We then went round Cape Horn. 

" On our cruise so far we had taken several prizes, but no- 
thing worthy of note, except the capture of the ]S"octon, a Brit- 
ish government packet, with about $55,000 in specie on board. 
The command of this prize was given to Lieutenant Finch 
(afterward Captain Bolton), with orders to proceed home. She 
was captured on her way, between Bermuda and the Capes of 
Yirginia, by a British frigate. 

" In going round the Horn, we experienced dreadful weather. 
We lay off the Cape for twenty-one days. On the morning of 
the 3d of March, 1813, we shipped a sea that stove in the ports 
from the bow to the quarter, carried the weather quarter boat on 
to the wheel, and took the lee boat off the davits ; but by great 
exertion we saved her. Large quantities of water rushed down 
the hatchways, leading those below to imagine that the ship was 
sinking. This was the only instance in which I ever saw a 
regular good seaman paralyzed by fear at the dangers of the sea. 
Many of the marines and several of the sailors were seen on 
their knees at prayer ; but in this, as in all other emergencies, 
most of our hardy tars were found ready and willing to do their 
duty. They were all called on deck, and came promptly, led by 
a trusty old son of ISTeptune, William Kingsbury, the boatswain's 
mate. He was the same who performed the part of !Neptune in 
' crossing the line.' Long shall I remember the cheering sound 
of his stentorian voice, which resembled the roaring of a lion 
rather than that of a human being, when he told them ' D — n 
their eyes, to put their best foot forward, as there was one side 
of her left yet.' By the exertions of this little band under the 
Captain, First Lieutenant, and officers of the watch, the ship 
was got before the wind, the quarter boat which had been car- 
ried away secured, and the decks cleared up. 

" On the following day the men who had been most active 
were all promoted, except Kingsbury, for whom there was no 
vacancy; .but he was subsequently made boatswain of the 
Essex Junior. 

" After great suffering we at last, on the 4th of March, took 



CEUISE IN" THE PACIFIC. 21 

the wind from the southwest, which ran us nearly up to the 
Island of Mocha, near the coast of Chili. At this place we pro- 
cured wild hogs and horses, the meat of the latter being in- 
finitely preferred to that of the former, which was fishy and 
unpalatable. 

" A melancholy incident occurred here. While we were 
lying in ambush for a drove of horses, one of the crew, a quar- 
ter-gunner, named James Spafford, had strayed off into the 
woods, and, as the drove passed, the men raised their guns and 
fired. Spafford had been aware of what was going on, and as 
soon as the firing ceased he came out. Lieutenant McKnight, 
who was near-sighted, seeing a wounded horse making off, fired 
at him, the ball passing through his neck and unfortunately into 
the breast of Spafford. McKnight exclaimed, 

" ' I have killed him ! ' alluding to the horse. 

" ' Yes,' replied Spafford, ' and you have killed me too. 
Please have me put into the boat and carried on board, that I 
may die under my country's flag.' 

" All were struck with consternation. McKnight was nearly 
crazed, and embraced Spafford, imploring his forgiveness. The 
poor fellow was carried on board, and lived about two weeks. 

" After getting a supply of fresh provisions, and letting the 
crew have a good run on shore, we sailed for Valparaiso. On 
arriving off that port we looked in, but seeing no Enghsh ves- 
sels, the Captain, either for the purpose of trying the crew, or 
from a conviction that it was best to proceed to leeward in search 
of British whalers, called the men aft and made them a short 
speech in his usual animated and enthusiastic style, showing the 
advantage of abstaining from the pleasures of being in port, that 
they might enjoy them the more in the future. The effect was 
always the same, a burst of applause and a determination to 
abide by his will. 

" At the time we were passing Valparaiso our provisions had 
been almost expended, and the men were on short allowance ; 
but it would have mattered little if we had been as short again. 
Their devotion to Porter was unbounded, and he could have 
controlled them with ease. On this occasion their enthusiastic 



22 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

acce23taiice of his proposition seemed to check his ambition in a 
moment ; he pondered for a while, and then said, ' 'No ! they 
have suffered too much already ; it would be tasking them un- 
generously ; I shall go in, if only to give them a run on shore." 
And so we entered the harbor and anchored. 

" On the 14th of March our crew had liberty ; then, after 
taking in a good supply of jerked beef, we put to sea. Craising 
along the coast of Chili and Peru, we fell in with a Peruvian 
guarda costa, the N"ereyda, 15 guns, which had captured some 
American vessels. We brought her under our lee, and took 
possession. Her captain acknowledged the capture of two of 
our whalers (he had their crews on board), and said he expected 
orders daily to capture American vessels wherever found, as his 
government was an ally of Great Britain. He was disarmed, 
his guns, small arms, and ammunition thrown overboard, and 
his vessel allowed to leave with only his lower masts and top- 
masts standing. 

" Running down the coast, we recaptured one of the gtcarda 
Costa's prizes, just as she was entering the port of Callao — the 
ship Alexander Barclay, belonging to ITew Bedford. We then 
sailed for the Galapagos Islands. 

" On the 29th of April, at daylight, we discovered a sail, 
which proved to be a large ship. In an hour we descried two 
others ; made all sail ; came up with and captured the first, 
which proved to be the Montezuma, Captain Baxter, with 1,400 
barrels of sperm oil. We continued in pursuit of the others 
until 11 A. M., when it fell calm, with the chase seven to nine 
miles distant. We learned from our prisoners that the strangers 
were the British whale-ships Georgiana and Policy — both well 
armed and manned, one having twenty-six and the other thirty- 
five men. We got out all our boats, and sent them in two 
divisions under Lieutenant Downes. I was officer of his boat. 
All the officers of the frigate, except the Captain, Surgeon, Pur- 
ser, and Boatswain, were in the expedition. 

" At 2 p. M., when we were about two miles distant, the 
enemy hoisted English colors and commenced firing their guns. 
We pulled up in two divisions, and when within a few yards 



CRUISE IN THE PACIFIC. 23 

Downes hailed, and asked if they surrendered, at the same time 
displaying the American colors from a pike in the bow of his 
boat. They gave three cheers, and replied, " We are all Ameri- 
cans." After taking possession, we passed on to the next ves- 
sel. The mate was in command, and hesitated for some time, 
but, seeing one of our men in the bow of the boat cock his 
musket, he yielded also. We had taken him rather by surprise, 
as he had to get his guns out of the hold and mount them, and 
he remarked that, if he had been ready for us, some would have 
returned with bloody noses. 

" The greater part of the crews of both ships were Ameri- 
cans who had been pressed into the English service, and many 
of them entered for our ship. 

" In clearing their decks for action, they had thrown over- 
board several hundred Galdpagos terrapins. The appearance of 
these turtles in the water was very singular ; they floated as light 
as corks, stretching their long necks as high as possible, for fear 
of drowning. They were the first we had ever seen, and ex- 
cited much curiosity as we pushed them aside to make way for 
the boats. On our return many were picked up, which afforded 
us an abundant supply of fresh provisions for officers and crew. 
The meat, cooked in almost any manner, is delicious, 

" The Captain ordered the Georgiana to be equipped as a 
cruiser, placing Lieutenant Downes in command, and on the 
8th of May she hoisted the American colors and pennant, firing 
a salute of seventeen guns, which was returned from our ship 
with nine guns and three cheers. We then separated, our ship 
going to Charles Island (of the Galapagos group) to examine 
the post-office — a letter-box nailed to a tree, in which whalers 
and other vessels deposited records of their movements. Found 
nothing new but some fresh tracks of men. While there we 
amused ourselves fishing-. 

" On one occasion, when out in the gig, the Captain, perceiv- 
ing a small beach on the Devil's Eock, as it was called, or- 
dered the boat to be run in. As we approached the shore, a 
number of seals were seen making for the water. He urged 
the men to try and kill one ; so they singled out a fine feUow 



24 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

and beat him over the head with oars and boat-hooks ; but it 
was of no avail, as he continued waddling toward the water. 
Finally, one of the sailors succeeded in getting hold of his tail ; 
but he dragged the whole crew, who had come to their com- 
rade's assistance, into the water. The Captain fired at the seal 
when he freed himself from the men, but he sank out of sight. 
"When we returned to the ship, the whalers instructed us in the 
art of seal-catching ; so we afterward provided ourselves with 
clubs about three feet in length, sealing-knives, paddles, etc. It 
was not long before we became adepts in the business. The 
second attempt, however, was ludicrous. On our landing a 
fine sea-lion arose, shook his head, and manifested an intention 
to take to the water. 

" ' l^ow, boys,' cried the Captain, ' you have a chance to 
show your American skill. String yourselves along, and each 
man stand ready to give him a blow on the nose. One blow 
will fix him.' 

" But, alas ! that one blow was never given. I was of Fal- 
staff's opinion that ' the better part of valor is discretion,' and 
so ran and seated myseK in a boat, not liking the gentleman's 
appearance. A good deal to my surprise, the animal, with a 
mighty roar, dashed through to the water, the men opening 
their ranks right and left as he passed. I had a hearty laugh 
at the Captain, who accused me of being afraid to stand on the 
beach, while I maintained that I never undertook anything 
without going through with it. We soon learned the manner 
of destroying the poor creatures with ease. 

"At Charles Island we let some of the men go on shore 
daily to take a run. They amused themselves by appointing 
one as cook while the rest went in search of tortoises and water. 
We found a spring about three miles from the beach. Birds 
were in great abundance, particularly doves, and we made a 
pot-pie of them, cooked the terrapin in his shell, and so made 
a feast. The prickly pear of the GaUpagos grows very large, 
and the fruit, which we ate for dessert, has an excellent flavor. 
These were among the happiest days of my life. 

" On the 25th of May we put to sea in search of prizes, and 



CRUISE IN THE PACIFIC. 25 

on the 28tli discovered a sail and gave chase. In the afternoon 
it died away cahn, when we got out all the boats and had a 
good pun before we overhauled her. The Essex overtook us, 
and the Montezuma picked us up. It was about 8 p. m. when 
we made the capture, which proved to be the Atlantic, Captain 
"Weir, an American, who had the pusiUanimity to say that, 
' though he was American born, he was an EngHshman at heart.' 
"We had British colors flying at the time, and he thought it 
would aid him to make this declaration. "We put a few men on 
board, and gave chase to another sail in the southwest. The 
Atlantic sailed well, and in the night we came up with the 
stranger, which proved to be the Greenwich. From these two 
ships we secured water and tortoises enough to supply us for 
some time. On the 6th of June we saw a beautiful sight, a 
volcano in a state of eruption on the Island of Narboro, one of 
the largest of the Galapagos." 

The Essex remained in the neighborhood of the Galdpagos 
Islands until the 8th of June. On the 14th she made the coast 
of Peru, and on the 16th the island of La Plata. On the 19th 
she ran in and anchored off the mouth of the river Tumbez in 
the Bay of Guayaquil. Here Captain Porter commenced laying 
in provisions. Farragut's journal says : 

" Our boats were frequently upset at this work ; but, although 
there were plenty of sharks and alligators to be seen, we did not 
lose a man. An alligator was kiUed, measuring sixteen feet in 
length, and nearly as large around as a flour-barrel. 

" On June 25th the Georgiana arrived with three prizes — the 
Eose, Catherine, and Hector. The officers were taken from 
them, and the armament shifted from the Georgiana to the At- 
lantic, which was thenceforward called the Essex Junior. 

" I was sent as prize-master to the Barclay. This was an im- 
portant event in my life, and when it was decided that I was to 
take the ship to Valparaiso, I felt no little pride at flnding my- 
self in command at twelve years of age. This vessel had been 
recaptured from a Spanish guarda costx. The Captain and his 



26 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FARRAGtJT. 

mate were on board, and I was to control the men sent from our 
frigate, while the Captain was to navigate the vessel. Captain 
Porter, having failed to dispose of the prizes, as it was under- 
stood he intended, gave orders for the Essex Junior and all the 
prizes to start for Yalparaiso. This arrangement caused great 
dissatisfaction on the part of the Captain of the Barclay, a vio- 
lent-tempered old fellow ; and, when the day arrived for our 
separation from the squadron, he was furious, and very plainly 
intimated to me that I would " find myself off New Zealand in 
the morning " ; to which I most decidedly demurred. We were 
lying still, while the other ships were fast disappearing from 
view ; the Commodore going north, and the Essex Junior, with 
her convoy, steering to the south for Yalparaiso. 

" I considered that my day of trial had arrived (for I was a 
little afraid of the old fellow, as every one else was). But the 
time had come for me at least to play the man ; so I mustered 
up courage and informed the Captain that 1 desired the main- 
topsail filled away, in order that we might close up with the 
Essex Junior. He replied that he would shoot any man who 
dared to touch a rope without his orders, he " would go his own 
course, and had no idea of trusting himself with a d — d nut- 
shell," and then he went below for his pistols. I called my 
right-hand man of the crew, and told him my situation ; I also 
informed him that I wanted the maintopsail filled. He an- 
swered with a clear " Aye, aye, sir ! " in a manner which was 
not to be misunderstood, and my confidence was perfectly re- 
stored. From that moment I became master of the vessel, and 
immediately gave all necessary orders for making sail, notifying 
the Captain not to come on deck with his pistols unless he 
wished to go overboard ; for I would really have had very little 
trouble in having such an order obeyed. 

" I made my report to Captain Downes, on rejoining him, and 
the Captain also told his story, in which he endeavored to per- 
suade Downes that he only tried to frighten me. I replied by 
requesting Captain Downes to ask him how he succeeded ; and, 
to show him that I did not fear him, I offered to go back and 
proceed with him to Yalparaiso. He was informed that I was 



CKUISE IN THE PACIFIC. 27 

in command, he being simply my adviser in navigating the ves- 
sel in case of separation. So, this being settled and understood, 
I returned to the Barclay, and everything went on amicably up 
to our arrival at Valparaiso. 

" We rejoined the Essex at the Island of Albemarle, on the 
30th of September, 1813, and wfere delighted to meet our com- 
panions again, who had been by no means idle, having taken 
three prizes — the l^ew Zealand, Seringapatam, and Sir Andrew 
Hammond. I went in one of the boats to the cove, where in 
less than half an hour we filled her with the finest rock cod, 
some of them as yellow as gold. We also caught a couple of 
land guanas — a large Kzard — said to be good eating. 

" We finally left the Galdpagos Islands a second time, the Cap- 
tain having taken all the English vessels he could hear of, except 
the Mmrod and Conrad — the latter a letter of marque of twenty 
guns, which he believed had left the coast. He therefore de- 
termined to visit the Marquesas Islands, refit his ship, and allow 
the men a few weeks' indulgence on shore, after the toils and 
privations of war cruising. 

" The passage across was one of uniform good weather, unac- 
companied by any event worthy of note. We made Hood's 
Island, one of the Marquesas group. On our approach, a canoe 
came out to meet us, with eight natives tattooed and ornamented 
with feathers. They invited us on shore, and promised us fruit 
and provisions in abundance. Finally we rounded a point and 
ran into a beautiful harbor, to be called, thereafter, Massachu- 
setts Bay. The ship was hauled into a good berth, close in 
shore, the water being perfectly clear, with a sandy bottom. 

" During our stay at this island the ' youngsters,' I among 

the number, were sent on board the vessel commanded by our 

Chaplain, for the purpose of continuing our studies, away from 

temptation. We were allowed, when not occupied with our 

duties, to ramble about on shore in company with the native 

boys. From them we learned to throw the spear and walk on 

stilts ; but the most useful accomplishment we acquired was the 

art of swimming. It really appears as natural for these islanders 

to swim as to eat. I have often seen mothers take their little 
3 



28 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

children, apparently not more than two years old, down to the 
sea on their backs, walk deliberately into deep water, and leave 
them to paddle for themselves. To my astonishment, the little 
creatures could swim like young ducks. 

" In such amusements the time passed pleasantly enough. 
We were considered too young to join in the battles which our 
people were carrying on with the Happars and Typees, and the 
Captain did not allow us to accompany him on these expeditious 
inland, at which, of course, we felt indignant. 

" A good understanding was finally brought about among all 
the tribes. The trouble, as stated in Captain Porter's journal, 
arose from efforts to protect our friends from the aggressions of 
neighboring tribes, who would have destroyed all the bread- 
fruit and other provisions upon which we relied so materially. 
Being convinced of our superior power, they soon began to 
make overtures of peace. Each tribe sent deputations, and built 
a village for the accommodation of our crew, with workshops, 
the whole being completed in one day. Stakes were fastened 
together with sinnet (plaited straw) made of cownut husk, and 
then the whole was covered neatly with cocoanut leaves, in such 
a substantial manner as to shed the rain perfectly. 

" There is a universal custom here of changing names with 
visitors ; and our friends were in the habit of calling every day, 
bringing with them always little presents, for which they re- 
ceived in return some bauble, or a piece of iron hoop, which 
they valued highly. This article was used in the construction 
of tools. 

" "We refitted the ships and smoked out the rats, which had 
become so numerous as to endanger our safety, for they were 
actually cutting through the water-casks, and even into the skin 
of the ship ; we were also afraid for our outer planking. 

" While we were engaged in this occupation, a strange sail 
was discovered in the offing, and the Essex Junior was directed 
to get under way and make chase. I was permitted to accom- 
pany Captain Downes as his aid on this occasion. We soon 
came up with the vessel, which proved to be the American ship 
Albatross, an East India trader. We returned to port together, 



CRUISE IN THE PACIFIC. 29 

and I went back to the Essex, wliere I found that during my 
absence there had been an attempt at mutiny among the prison- 
ers, in consequence of which they had all been placed in irons 
and put on prison fare. It appears that their intention had 
been to attack the Essex Junior, in canoes from the shore, cut 
her cables, and put to sea, as they were aware, from the great 
liberty which had been allowed them, that we had no vessel 
ready to give pursuit. The Captain acted promptly. He had 
them all sent aft, first made a mock apology for sending the 
vessel away, and then lectured them severely for their ingratitude. 

"Nothing further occurred worthy of note until we were 
ready for sea on the 9th of December, when, as was the custom 
on Sunday, many of the crew visited the Essex Junior, and, I 
suppose from having received some intimation that the ships 
were about to sail, dissatisfaction was expressed, as the sailors 
were loath to give up the demoralizing pleasures of the island. 

" On Monday morning I saw that all was not right. The 
Captain took his cutlass in his hand, which he laid on the cap- 
stan. He then, though shaking with anger, addressed the crew, 
who had been mustered on the larboard side of the deck, with 
forced composure. 

" ' All of you who are in favor of weighing the anchor when 
I give the order, pass over to the starboard side ; you who are 
of a different determination, stay on the larboard side.' 

" All of them, to a man, walked over to the starboard. He 
called up a man named Kobert White, an Englishman, and said 
to him in a severe tone : 

" ' How is this ? Did you not tell them on board the Essex 
Junior that the crew of this ship would refuse to weigh anchor ? ' 
The man tremblingly replied : 

"'1^0, sir.' 

" ' You lie, you scoundrel ! ' said the Captain. ' Where is the 
list of the men who visited the Essex Junior on Sunday ? ' 

" He then made several of them step forward, and put the 
question to them one after the other : 

" ' Did you not hear of this thing on board of the Essex 
Junior ? ' 



30 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

" ' Yes, sir,' was the response. Then, turning to White, he 
exclaimed : 

" ' Run, you scoundrel, for your life ! ' and away the fellow 
went over the starboard gangway. 

" I believe Captain Porter would have killed the man at the 
moment, if he had caught him, but it was equally evident he 
did not make any great exertion to do so. "White got into a 
passing canoe, and we never saw him again. Captain Porter 
then addressed the crew in a hearty manner, praising their good 
conduct, and holding up to reprobation such miserable villainies. 
At the same time, he gave them to understand that he always 
intended to act summarily when such disgraceful affairs came 
to his notice, and intimated to them that he ' would blow them 
all to hell before they should succeed in a conspiracy.' 

" Having delivered this address, he wheeled around and or- 
dered them to man the capstan, and the music to play ' The 
girl I left behind me.' The fiddle struck up, the anchor fairly 
flew to the bows, and we made sail and stood out to sea. Taken 
altogether, it was the most exciting scene I had ever witnessed, 
and made such an impression on my young mind that the cir- 
cumstance is as fresh as if it had occurred yesterday. 

" We went to sea in the usual fine weather, leaving behind 
all the prizes except the Essex Junior. When we were about 
twelve miles from Hood's Island, a fresh breeze blowing at the 
time, a splash was heard in the water alongside, but no attention 
was paid to it ; in fact, the matter was not reported by the per- 
son who noticed it until we found out at quarters next morning 
that an Otaheitian named Tamaha was missing. Upon inquiry, 
it was discovered that some difficulty had occurred between a 
boatswain's mate and himseK, the former having struck him, 
and, as he could not brook the insult, he deliberately jumped 
overboard in his anger. As a matter of course, we all thought 
the man had drowned himself ; and, as he was a general favorite 
on shipboard, his loss was much regretted. I learned some 
years afterward, from an officer of one of the prizes, that Ta- 
maha arrived at Nukahiva on the third day after our departure, 
having probably swam twenty miles. The nearest land at the 



CRUISE IN THE PACIFIC. 31 

time lie left the ship was fully twelve miles distant, and it is 
doubtful about his having landed at that point, on account of 
the nature of the shore. 

" Nothing of unusual interest occurred during our passage. 
Every day the crew were exercised at the ' great guns,' small 
arms, and single stick. And I will here mention the fact that 
I have never been in a ship where the crew of the old Essex 
was represented, but that I found them to be the best swords- 
men on board. They had been so thoroughly trained as board- 
ers, that every man was prepared for such an emergency, with 
his cutlass as sharp as a razor, a dirk made by the ship's armorer 
from a file, and a pistol." 

It will be seen that Farragut was an apt scholar in the pro- 
fession he had chosen, observant and appreciative ; nor did he 
fail through life to give, on all occasions, the highest credit to 
his "friend and guardian," Commodore Porter, for the rare 
ability and resplendent heroism which distinguished that great 
naval commander. It was fortunate for himself, for the service, 
the good of which he labored so earnestly always to promote, 
and for his country, that the young sailor was trained in a school 
so admirably adapted to develop his character and shape his 
career. Those who knew him best and watched his course with 
most interest, all testify to that thorough knowledge of his pro- 
fession, readiness of resource, and untiring devotion to his du- 
ties in their minutest details, the foundation of which was the 
wholesome discipline of his, earliest service and the illustrious 
example of his preceptor in the art of naval warfare. 



CHAPTER V. 

HIS FIRST BATTLE — LOSS OF THE ESSEX — KETTJEN TO NEW YOEK. 

One of the most sanguinary and gallantly contested battles 
in maritime warfare, which has scarcely a parallel in the early 
achievements of our own heroic navy — unless it be the affair of 
the Bon Homme Eichard — was the splendid defense made by 
Porter and his brave oflScers and crew in the Essex, against the 
combined attack of the British frigate Phoebe and sloop of war 
Cherub. This action has been described by Commodore Porter 
himself, with an exactness of detail for which he was conspicu- 
ous ; but the recollections of Earragut, who, though at the time 
hardly thirteen years of age, participated in all the glories and 
dangers of that bloody conflict, and whose conduct, in the lan- 
guage of his commander, " deserved the promotion for which 
he was too young to be recommended," can not fail to be inter- 
esting, especially as it is the first time his account of the circum- 
stances has been made public. He says : 

" In January, 1814, we arrived off the coast of Chili. After 
looking into Concepcion, we ran down to Valparaiso, where we 
lay until the arrival of the British frigate Phoebe and sloop of 
war Cherub. This occurred early in February. The frigate 
mounted thirty long 18-pounders, sixteen 32-pounder carron- 
ades, one howitzer, and six 3-pounders in the tops, with a crew 
of 320 men. The Cherub had eighteen 32-pounder carronades, 
eight 24:-pounders, two long nines, and a crew of 180 men. 

" When they made their appearance ofE the port, our whole 
watch, being a third of our crew, were on shore on liberty. 
The mate of an English merchantman, which was lying in port 
at the time, went immediately on board the Phoebe and stated 
to Captain Hillyar that one half of our men were on shore, and 



HIS FIRST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 33 

that the Essex would fall an easy prey. The two ships then 
hauled into the harbor on a wind. The Phcebe made our lar- 
board quarter, but the Cherub fell to leeward about half a mile. 
On gaining our quarter, the Phoebe put her helm do^yn and 
luffed up on our starboard bow, coming within ten or fifteen feet 
of the Essex. 

" I should say here, that as soon as the enemy hove in sight 
we fired a gun and hoisted a cornet for ' all boats and men to 
return ' ; and that in fifteen minutes every man was at his 
quarters, and but one was under the influence of liquor, he a 
mere boy. "When the Phoebe, as before mentioned, was close 
alongside, and all hands at quarters, the powder-boys stationed 
with slow matches ready to discharge the guns, the boarders, 
cutlass in hand, standing by to board in the smoke, as was our 
custom at close quarters, the intoxicated youth saw, or imagined 
that he saw, through the port, some one on the Phoebe grinning 
at him. ' My fine fellow, I'll stop your making faces,' he ex- 
claimed, and was just about to fire his gun when Lieutenant 
McKnight saw the movement and with a blow sprawled him on 
the deck. Had that gun been fired, I am convinced that the 
Phoebe would have been ours. But it was destined to be other- 
wise. We were all at quarters and cleared for action, waiting 
with breathless anxiety for the command from Captain Porter 
to board, when the English captain (Hillyar) appeared, standing 
on the after gun, in a pea-jacket, and in plain hearing said : 

" ' Captain Hillyar's compliments to Captain Porter, and 
hopes he is well.' 

" Porter replied, * Very well, I thank you ; but I hope you 
will not come too near, for fear some accident might take place 
which would be disagreeable to you,' and with a wave of his 
trumpet the kedge anchors went up to our yard-arms, ready to 
grapple the enemy. 

" Captain Hillyar braced back his yards and remarked to 
Porter that if he did fall aboard him, he begged to assure the 
captain it would be entirely accidental. 

" ' Well,' said Porter, ' you have no business where you are. 
If you touch a rope-yarn of this ship, 1 shall hoard instantly^ 



34 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

He then liailed the Essex Junior, and told Captain Downes to 
be prepared to repel the enemy. 

" But our desire for a fight was not yet to be gratified. The 
Phoebe backed down, her yards passed over ours, not touching 
a rope, and she anchored about half a mile astern. We thus 
lost an opportunity of taking her, 'though we had observed the 
strict neutrality of the port under very aggravating circum- 
stances. 

" We remained together in the harbor for some days, when 
the British vessels, having completed their provisioning and 
watering, went to sea and commenced a regular blockade of our 
ships. One night we manned all our boats for the purpose of 
boarding the enemy outside. The captain in his boat, with 
muffled oars, pulled so close up to the Phcebe that he could hear 
the conversation of the men on her forecastle, and thereby 
learned that they were lying at their quarters prepared for us ; 
so the attempt was given up, and we«retumed on board. 

" It was understood in our ship, one day, that Captain Porter 
had sent word to Captain Hillyar that, if he would send the 
Cherub to the leeward point of the harbor, he would go out and 
fight him. We all believed the terms would be accepted, and 
everything was kept in readiness to get under way. Soon after 
the Phoebe was seen standing in with her motto flag flying, on 
which was, God and our Country ! British Sailors' Best 
Bights ! This was in answer to Porter's flag. Free Trade and 
Sailors' Rights ! She fired a gun to windward, and the Cherub 
was seen running to leeward. In five minutes our anchor was 
up, and mider topsails and jib we cleared for action — in fact, we 
were always ready for that. When within two miles of our posi- 
tion, the Phoebe bore up and set her studding-sails. This I con- 
sidered a second breach of faith on the part of Hillyar ; for, by 
his manoeuvi'es in both instances, it was evident that he was 
either wanting in courage or lacked the good faith of a high- 
toned, chivalrous spirit to carry out his original intention. How- 
ever, as Captain Hillyar subsequently proved himself a brave 
man, in more than one instance, I shall not deny him that com- 
mon characteristic of a naval officer, and have attributed his 



HIS FIRST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 35 

action on these two occasions to a want of good faith. He was 
dealing with a far inferior force, and it was ignoble in the ex- 
treme, on his part, not to meet his foe, when he had the ghost 
of an excuse for doing so, ship to ship. 

" On the 28th of March, 1814:, it came on to blow from the 
south, and we parted our larboard cable, dragging the starboard 
anchor leeward ; we immediately got under way and made sail 
on the ship. The enemy's vessels were close in with the weath- 
ermost point of the bay ; but Captain Porter thought we could 
weather them, so we hauled up for that purpose and took in our 
top-gallant sails, which had been set over close-reefed topsails. 
But scarcely had the top-gaUant sails been clewed down, when a 
squall struck the ship, and, though the top-sail halyards were let 
go, the yards jammed and would not come down. When the 
ship was nearly gunwale under, the maintopmast went by the 
board, carrying the men who were on the maintop-gallant yard 
into the sea, and they were drowned. We immediately wore 
ship and attempted to regain the harbor; but, owing to the 
disaster, were unable to do so ; therefore we anchored in a small 
bay, about a quarter of a mile off shore and three quarters of a 
mile from a small battery. 

" But it was evident, from the preparations being made by 
the enemy, that he intended to attack us ; so we made arrange- 
ments to receive him as well as we possibly could. Springs 
were got on our cables, and the ship was perfectly prepared for 
action. 

" I well remember the feelings of awe produced in me by 
the approach of the hostile ships ; even to my young mind it 
was perceptible in the faces of those around me, as clearly as 
possible, that our case was hopeless. It was equally apparent 
that all were ready to die at their guns rather than surrender ; 
and such I believe to have been the detennination of the crew, 
almost to a man. There had been so much bantering of each 
other between the men of the ships, through the medium of 
letters and songs, with an invariable fight between the boats' 
crews when they met on shore, that a very hostile sentiment 
was engendered. Our flags were flying from every mast, and 



36 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

the enemy's vessels displayed tlieir ensigns, jacks, and motto 
flags, as they bore down grandly to the attack. 

"At 3 : 54 p. M. they commenced firing ; the Phoebe nnder 
our stern, and the Cherub on our starboard bow. But the latter, 
finding out pretty soon that we had too many guns bearing on 
her, likewise ran under our stern. We succeeded in getting 
three long guns out of the stern ports, and kept up as well 
directed a fire as possible in such an unequal contest. 

" In half an hour they were both comj)elled to haul off to re- 
pair damages. During this period of the fight we had suc- 
ceeded three times in getting springs on our cables, but in each 
instance they were shot away as soon as they were hauled taut. 
I*^otwithstanding the incessant firing from both of the enemy's 
ships, we had, so far, suffered less than might have been ex- 
pected, considering that we could bring but three guns to oppose 
two broadsides. We had many men killed in the first five or 
ten minutes of their fire, before we could bring our stern guns 
to bear. 

" The enemy soon repaired damages, and renewed the attack, 
both ships taking position on our larboard quarter, out of reach 
of our carronades, and where the stern guns could not be 
brought to bear. They then kej)t up a most galling fire, which 
we were powerless to return. At this juncture the Captain 
ordered the cable to be cut, and, after many ineffectual attempts, 
we succeeded in getting sail on the ship, having found that the 
flying-jib halyards were in a condition to hoist that sail. It was 
the only serviceable rope that had not been shot away. By this 
means we were. enabled to close with the enemy, and the firing 
now became fearful on both sides. The Cherub was compelled 
to haul out, and never came into close action again, though she 
lay off and used her long guns greatly to our discomfort, ma- 
king a perfect target of us. The Phoebe, also, was enabled, by 
the better condition of her sails, to choose her own distance, 
suitable for her long guns, and kept up a most destructive fire 
on our helpless ship. 

" ' Finding,' as Captain Porter says, ' the impossibility of 
closing with the Phcebe,' he determined to run his ship ashore 




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HIS FIEST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 37 

and destroy her. "We accordingly stood for the land, but when 
we were within half a mile of the bluffs the wind suddenly 
shifted, took us flat aback, and paid our head off shore. We 
were thus again exposed to a galling fire from the Phoebe. At 
this moment Captain Downes, of the Essex Junior, came on 
board to receive his orders, being under the impression that our 
ship would soon be captured, as the enemy at that time were 
raking us, while we could not bring a gun to bear, and his ves- 
sel was in no condition to be of service to us. 

" Captain Porter now ordered a hawser to be bent on to the 
sheet anchor and let go. This brought our ship's head around, 
and we were in hopes the Phoebe would drift out of gunshot, 
as the sea was nearly calm ; but the hawser broke, and we were 
again at the mercy of the enemy. The ship was now reported 
to be on fire, and the men came rushing up from below, many 
with their clothes burning, which were torn from them as quick- 
ly as possible, and those for whom this could not be done were 
told to jump overboard and quench the flames. Many of the 
crew, and even some of the officers, hearing the order to jump 
overboard, took it for granted that the flre had reached the 
magazine, and that the ship was about to blow up ; so they 
leaped into the water, and attempted to reach the shore, about 
three quarters of a mile distant, in which effort a number were 
drowned. 

" The Captain sent for the commissioned ofiicers, to consult 
with them as to the propriety of further resistance ; but first 
went below to ascertain the quantity of powder in the maga- 
zine. On his return to the deck he met Lieutenant McKnight, 
the only commissioned officer left on duty, all the others having 
been either killed or wounded. As it was pretty evident that the 
ship was in a sinking condition, it was determined to surrender, 
in order to save the wounded, and at 6 : 30 p. m. the painful 
order was given to haul down the colors." 

The loss of the Essex in this famous action was 58 killed 
(including those who soon died), 6Q wounded, and 31 missing. 
Most of the missing were probably drowned. Captain Hillyar's 



38 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

official report acknowledged a loss of 4 killed and 7 wound- 
ed on the Phoebe, and 1 killed and 3 wounded on the Cherub. 
The Phoebe received eighteen 12-pound shots below the water 
line, and both of the British ships were considerably cut up. 
It was estimated that they threw seven hundred 18-pound shots 
at the Essex, and that the latter fired each of her twelve long 
guns seventy-five times. The battle lasted two hours and a 
half, and was witnessed by thousands of people from the shore. 
The approved skill and judgment of Admiral Farragut as a 
naval commander naturally give great importance to his pro- 
fessional opinions ; and, although the events which occurred at 
the time have long since passed into history, it will no doubt be 
interesting to read his views in regard to this memorable en- 
gagement, the details of which, notwithstanding his extreme 
youth, seem to have been strongly impressed upon his observant 
mind, and grasped by that genius for maritime warfare so sig- 
nally developed in his after-hfe. He says : 

" In the first place, I consider that our original and greatest 
error was in attempting to regain the anchorage; as, being 
greatly superior to the enemy in sailing qualities, I think we 
should have borne up and run before the wind. If we had 
come in contact with the Phoebe, we should have carried her 
by boarding ; if she avoided us, as she might have done by her 
greater ability to manoeuvre, then we could have taken her fire 
and passed on, leaving both vessels behind until we replaced our 
topmast, by which time they would have been separated, as, un- 
less they did so, it would have been no chase, the Cherub being 
a dull sailer. 

" Secondly, when it was apparent to everybody that we had 
no chance of success under the circumstances, the ship should 
have been run ashore, throwing her broadside to the beach, to 
prevent raking, and fought as long as was consistent with hu- 
manity, and then set on fire. But, having determined on an- 
choring, we sliould have bent a spring on to the ring of the 
anchor, instead of to the cable, where it was exposed, and could 
be shot away as fast as put on. This mode of proceeding would 



HIS FIRST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 39 

have given us, in my opinion, a better opportunity of injuring 
our opponents. 

" If tliese were not my reflections at tlie time, it was because 
I had always been in the habit of relying on the judgment of 
others ; but they certainly have been my opinions as far back 
as I can remember to have thought on the subject. 

" It has been quite common to blame Captain Hillyar for 
his conduct in this affair ; but, when we come to consider the 
characteristics of the two commanders, we may be inclined to 
judge more leniently, although Captain Porter's complaints in 
the matter will excite no surprise. Porter was about thirty-two 
years of age at the time, and the ' pink of chivalry,' of an ar- 
dent and impetuous temperament ; while Hillyar was a cool 
and calculating man, about fifty years old, and, as he said to his 
Fu'st Lieutenant, ' had gained his reputation by several single- 
ship combats, and only expected to retain it on the present 
occasion by an implicit obedience to his orders, viz., to captm*e 
the Essex with the least possible risk to his vessel and crew ; 
and, as he had a superior force, he had determined not to leave 
anything to chance, beheving any other course would caU down 
on him the disapprobation of his government. Mr. "William 
Ingram, his Fu'st Lieutenant, was a chivalrous young man, and, 
it is said, begged Captain Hillyar to bear down and board us, 
the above being the substance of Hillyar's reply. Ingram said 
it was dehberate murder to lie off at long range and fii*e at us 
like a target, when we were unable to return their fire. This 
young officer had previously visited us under a flag of truce, 
and was shown throughout the ship. His frank and manly 
bearing quite won the hearts of all on board. While admiring 
the Essex, he made the remark that ' it would be the happiest 
moment of his life to take her to England, should she be cap- 
tured in equal combat.' To this Captain Porter replied that, 
'should such an event occur, he knew no British officer to 
whom he would more readily yield the honor.' In this senti- 
ment all of our officers concurred. Unfortunately, the poor 
fellow was not destined to survive the action ; for a shot struck 
the rail, near which he was standing, and a splinter wounded 



40 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. 

Mm so seriously about the head that he died before the termi- 
nation of the fight. All of our officers and crew who remained 
attended his funeral, which took place on shore at the Gover- 
nor's castle in Valparaiso. 

" During the action I was like ' Paddy in the cat-harpins,' 
a man on occasions. I performed the duties of Captain's aid, 
quarter-gunner, powder-boy, and in fact did everything that 
was required of me. I shall never forget the horrid impression 
made upon me at the sight of the first man I had ever seen 
killed. He was a boatswain's mate, and was fearfully muti- 
lated. It staggered and sickened me at first; but they soon 
began to fall around me so fast that it all appeared like a dream, 
and produced no effect on my nerves. I can remember well, 
while I was standing near the Captain, just abaft the mainmast, 
a shot came through the waterways and glanced upward, killing 
four men who were standing by the side of the gun, taking the 
last one in the head and scattering his brains over both of us. 
But this awful sight did not affect me half as much as the death 
of the first poor fellow. I neither thought of nor noticed any- 
thing but the working of the guns. 

" On one occasion Midshipman Isaacs came up to the Cap- 
tain and reported that a quarter-gunner named Roach had de- 
serted his post. The only reply of the Captain, addressed to 
me, was, ' Do your duty, sir.' I seized a j)istol and went in 
pursuit of the fellow, but did not find him. It appeared, sub- 
sequently, that when the ship was reported to be on fire he had 
contrived to get into the only boat that could be kept afloat, and 
escaped, with six others, to the shore. The most remarkable 
part of this affair was that Koach had always been a leading 
man in the ship, and, on the occasion previously mentioned, 
when the Phoebe seemed about to run into us, in the harbor of 
Valparaiso, and the boarders were called away, I distinctly re- 
member this man standing in an exposed position on the cat- 
head, with sleeves rolled up and cutlass in hand, ready to board, 
his counten^ce expressing eagerness for the fight : which goes 
to prove that personal courage is a very peculiar virtue. Poach 
was brave with a prospect of success, but a coward in adversity. 



HIS FIKST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 41 

" Soon after tliis, some gun-primers were wanted, and I was 
sent after them. In going below, while I was on the ward-room 
ladder, the Captain of the gun directly opposite the hatchway 
was struck full in the face by an eighteen-pound shot, and fell 
back on me. We tumbled down the hatch together. I struck 
on my head, and, fortunately, he fell on my hips. I say fortu- 
nately, for, as he was a man of at least two hundred pounds' 
weight, I would have been crushed to death if he had fallen 
directly across my body. I lay for some moments stunned by 
the blow, but soon recovered consciousness enough to rush up 
on deck. The Captain, seeing me covered with blood, asked if 
I was wounded, to which I repKed, ' I believe not, sir.' ' Then,' 
said he, ' where are the primers ? " This first brought me com- 
pletely to my senses, and I ran below again and carried the 
primers on deck. When I came up the second time I saw the 
Captain fall, and in my turn ran up and asked if he was wound- 
ed. He answered me almost in the same words, ' I believe not, 
my son ; but I felt a blow on the top of my head.' He must 
have been knocked down by the windage of a passing shot, as 
his hat was somewhat damaged. 

" When my services were not required for other purposes, I 
generally assisted in working a gun ; would run and bring pow- 
der from the boys, and send them back for more, until the 
Captain wanted me to carry a message ; and this continued to 
employ me during the action. 

" When it was determined to surrender, the Captain sent me 

to ascertain if Mr. had the signal-book, and, if so, to throw 

it overboard. I could not find him or the book for some time ; 
but at last saw the latter lying on the sill of a port, and dashed 
it into the sea. After the action, Mr. said he was over- 
board himself, trying to clear the book from some part of the 
wreck where it had lodged — a very unfortunate story, as I had 
seen it sink into the depths below. 

" Isaacs and I amused om-selves throwing overboard pistols 
and other small arms, to prevent their falling into the hands of 
the enemy. At length the boarding officer came on board, and, 
running up to Captain Porter, asked him how he would account 



42 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

to somebody (I do not remember wlio) for allowiLg his men to 
jump overboard, and at the same time demanded his sword. 
' That, sir,' replied Porter, ' is reserved for your master.' The 
Captain went on board the Phoebe, and I followed half an hour 
later. 

" I have already remarked how soon I became accustomed to 
scenes of blood and death during the action ; but after the battle 
had ceased, when, on going below, I saw the mangled bodies of 
my shipmates, dead and dying, groaning and expiring with the 
most patriotic sentiments on their lips, I became faint and sick ; 
my sympathies were all aroused. As soon as I recovered from 
the first shock, however, I hastened to assist the surgeon in 
staunching and dressing the wounds of my comrades. Among 
the badly wounded was one of my best friends. Lieutenant J. 
G. Cowell. When I spoke to him he said, ' O Davy, I fear it 
is all up with me.' I found that he had lost a leg just above 
the knee, and the Doctor informed me that his life might have 
been saved if he had consented to the amputation of the limb 
an hour before; but, when it was proposed to drop another 
patient and attend to him, he replied, '^o, Doctor, none of 
that ; fair play is a jewel. One man's hf e is as dear as another's ; 
I would not cheat any poor fellow out of his turn.' Thus died 
one of the best officers and bravest men among us. 

" It was wonderful to find dying men, who had hardly ever 
attracted notice among the ship's company, uttering sentiments, 
with their last, breath, worthy of a Washington. You might 
have heard in all directions, ' Don't give her up, Logan ! ' — a 
sobriquet for Porter — ' Hurrah for liberty ! ' and similar expres- 
sions. One of the crew of a bow gun told me of a singular act 
of heroism on the part of a young Scotchman, named Bissley, 
who had one leg shot off close to the groin. He used his hand- 
kerchief as a tourniquet, and said to his comrades : 

" ' I left my own country and adopted the United States to 
fight for her. I hope I have this day proved myself worthy of 
the country of my adoption. I am no longer of any use to you 
or to her, so good-by ! ' With these words, he leaned on the 
sill of the port and threw himself overboard. 



HIS FIRST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 43 

" Many of our fine fellows bled to death for want of tourni- 
quets. An old quarter master, named Francis Bland, was stand- 
ing at the wheel when I saw a shot coming over the fore-jard, 
in such a direction that I thought it would strike him or me ; so 
I told him to jump, at the same time pulling him toward me. 
At that instant the shot took off his right leg, and I afterward 
found that my coat-tail had been carried away. I helped the 
old fellow below, and inquired for him after the action, but he 
had died before he could be attended to. 

" I escaped without injury, except the bruises from my fall. 

" Lieutenant Wilmer, who had been sent forward to let go 
the sheet anchor, was knocked overboard by a shot. After the 
action his little negro boy, ' Ruff,' came on deck and asked me 
what had become of his master, and when I imparted to him 
the sad news he deliberately jumped into the sea and was 
drowned. 

"Mr. McKnight still lived, and with Midshipman Lyman 
was to go to England, or to Rio de Janeiro, to give evidence in 
regard to the capture of the ship. Cowell was dead, and Oden- 
heimer was the only lieutenant left with us. Barnwell, the 
acting master, had been wounded in the breast, but was doing 
well. Isaacs, Ogden, Dusenberry, and I were all who remained 
of the midshipmen who were not seriously injured. 

" Doctors Hoffman and Montgomery escaped unhurt, al- 
though some of their patients were killed by flying splinters 
while under their hands. These gentlemen exhibited great 
skill and nerve in their care of the wounded. 

" It is astonishing what powers of endurance some men pos- 
sess. There was one instance of a man who swam to the shore 
with scarcely a square inch of his body which had not been 
burned, and, although he was deranged for some days, he ulti- 
mately recovered, and served with me in the West Indies. He 
was the same old boatswain's mate, Kingsbury, who distin- 
guished himself off Cape Horn, for which he had been made 
boatswain of the Essex Junior. He accompanied Captain 
Downes on board in his boat, as he said, ' to share the fate of 
his old ship.' Another seaman swam ashore with sixteen or 



44 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

eighteen pieces of iron in his leg, scales from the muzzle of his 
gun. He also recovered, without losing his leg. 

" I went on board the Phoebe about 8 a. m. on the morning 
of the 29th, and was ushered into the steerage. I was so morti- 
fied at our capture that I could not refrain from tears. While 
in this uncomfortable state, I was aroused bj hearing a young 
reefer call out : 

" ' A prize ! a prize ! Ho, boys, a fine grunter, by Jove ! ' 

" I saw at once that he had under his arm a pet pig belong- 
ing to our ship, called ' Murphy.' I claimed the animal as my 
own. 

" ' Ah,' said he, ' but you are a prisoner, and your pig also.' 

" ' We always respect private property,' I replied, and, as I 
had seized hold of Murphy, I determined not to let go, unless 
' compelled by superior force.' This was fun for the oldsters, 
who immediately sung out : 

" ' Go it, my little Yankee ! If you can thrash Shorty, you 
shall have your pig.' 

" ' Agreed ! ' said I. 

" A ring was formed in the open space, and at it we went. 
I soon found that my antagonist's pugilistic education did not 
come up to mine. In fact, he was no match for me, and was 
compelled to give up the pig. So I took master Murphy under 
my arm, feeling that I had, in some degree, wiped out the dis- 
grace of our defeat. 

" I was sent for by Captain Hillyar to come into his cabin, 
where Captain Porter was, and asked to take some breakfast, 
when, seeing my discomfiture, he remarked in a very kind man- 
ner : 

" ' Never mind, my Httle fellow, it will be your turn next, 
perhaps.' 

" I said I hoped so, and left the cabin to hide my emotion. 

" We were all soon put on parole, and went on shore ; our 
wounded from the ship being moved to a comfortable house 
hired for their accommodation. I volunteered my aid to our 
Surgeon as an assistant, and I never earned Uncle Sam's money 
so faithfully as I did during that hospital service. I rose at 



HIS FIEST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 45 

daylight and arranged the bandages and plasters nntil 8 a. m. ; 
then, after breakfast, I went to work at my patients. I was 
employed tbus until the 27th of April, when Captain Porter 
succeeded in making arrangements with Captain Hillyar for the 
transportation of our crew to the United States in the Essex 
Junior. That vessel was accordingly disarmed, and we em- 
barked in her for 'New York. But what a small number of 
officers assembled on that occasion ! And yet we had fared 
better than the crew ; their ranks had been wof uUy diminished. 
Out of 255 men there remained 132, including the wounded. 
Two of these we were compelled to leave at the hospital, one of 
whom died, and the other recovered and returned to the United 
States. His name was William Call. He' lost his leg during 
the action, and while he was weltering in his blood, and it yet 
hung by the skin, he discovered Adam Roach skulking on the 
berth deck, and dragged his shattered stump all around the bag- 
house, pistol in hand, trjang to get a shot at him. 

"We had, as a general thing, very good weather on our 
homeward voyage, passing Cape Horn under top-gallant stud- 
ding-sails. I continued to attend to my patients. 

" When we arrived off Long Island, at a distance of about 
ten leagues from the land, we were overhauled by the British 
razee Saturn, Captain Nash. The boarding-officer took Captain 
Porter's report on board to Captain l^ash ; but that officer ex- 
pressed dissatisfaction and said, 

" ' Hillyar had no business to make such terms with Captain 
Porter.' 

" Whereupon Porter told him that, according to the agree- 
ment made, if any of His Majesty's ships should detain him 
over twelve hours, by his delivery of his sword to the officer 
detaining him he would be considered a prisoner of war to that 
officer and absolved from all obligation to Captain Hillyar. 
Porter accompanied his remarks with the tender of his sword, 
to be conveyed to Captain Nash. This, however, was refused. 
The last words of Captain Poi-ter to the boarding-officer were : 

" ' Tell Captain Nash that, if British officers have no respect 
for the honor of each other, I shall have none for them, and 



46 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

shall consider myself, if detained all night, at liberty to effect 
my escajDe, if I can.' 

" On the retm-n of the boat to the Saturn, we were hailed 
and ordered to remain under her lee all night. The next morn- 
ing, after breakfast. Porter ordered his boat manned and armed. 
She was a whale-boat, and had the reputation of being very fast. 
It was evident that he had determined to make a desperate fight, 
if pursued. He finally pushed off, and his departure was un- 
noticed for some time, as our ship was directly in the way. 
When the discovery was made, however, from the masthead of 
the Satm-n, that vessel soon got under way and wore ship, pass- 
ing under our stem ; but about this time, as luck would have it, 
a dense fog came up, and, though we heard with anxiety every 
order which was given on board the razee, not a spar could be 
seen. 

" Making all sail ourselves for Sandy Hook, we were in a 
few minutes going about nine knots. At 11 a. m. the man from 
our royal masthead discovered the broad pennant of the Saturn 
to windward, and before she was out of the fog we were all 
snug, with our main topsail to the mast. Firing a gun to lee- 
ward, she ran down to us and sent a boat alongside with another 
officer in charge. The first one who boarded us had conducted 
himself like a gentleman, but this individual was an upstart. 
He began by remarking : 

" ' You drift quite fast ; we have been going nine knots for 
the last three hours, and yet we find you abeam with your main 
topsail to the mast.' 

" ' Yes,' was the quiet reply of Captain Downes. 

" ' And that was Captain Porter who left the ship in a boat, 
I suppose ? ' 

" ' It was,' said Downes. 

" ' Then, by G — d, you wiU soon be leaving too, if we don't 
take your boats from you.' 

" * You had better try that,' Downes remarked, coolly. 

" ' I would, if I had my way,' replied the officer. 

" Captain Downes's anger was now fully aroused, and, ad- 
vancing, he said. 



HIS FIRST BATTLE— LOSS OF THE ESSEX. 

" ' You impertinent puppy, if you have any business to do 
here, do it ; but if you dare to insult me again I shall throw 
you overboard,' accompanying his words with a significant ges- 
ture. 

" The young man jumped into his boat and left the ship. 
In a short time after the regular boarding-officer came to us and 
stated that Captain Nash ' hoped Captain Downes would excuse 
the youth and ignorance of the former officer, who had been 
ordered to send an apology for his ungentlemanly conduct.' 

" Our crew was then mustered, to see if it tallied with the 
passport, each man being critically examined as he went by, but 
none were stopped. As the last one passed, the officer asked 
one of his boat's crew, 

" ' "Which is the man you spoke of as being an Englishman ? ' 

" We were all under great anxiety for some poor fellow who 
might be a deserter from the British service. The sailor an- 
swered, however, with the utmost composure, 

" ' I never said he was an Englishman.' 

" ' But,' remarked the officer, ' you said you had sailed with 
him.' 

" ' True enough,' was the reply, ' but it was out of ITew 
York.' 

" In some confusion the officer apologized and departed. 

" Our passport was countersigned, and we made sail for 
Sandy Hook. About sunset we fell in with the enemy's frigate 
I^arcissus, and were of course subjected to another examination ; 
but we made the Hook by eight o'clock in the evening. The 
night was dark and squally, and we could not procure a pilot ; 
but the Captain took the ship in by chart alone. When oppo- 
site a small battery in the Horseshoe, we hoisted our colors with 
lanterns, and sent a boat on shore with a light in her. By acci- 
dent, the Hght was extinguished, and the fort began firing on 
us. This continued until the boat returned and procured another 
light, the men on board in the mean time being ordered below. 
The ship was not struck by a single shot, which caused me to 
think, at the time, that it was not such an awful thing as was 
supposed to lie under a battery. 



48 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

" Having finally convinced them that we were Americans, 
we furled sails and remained all night, which was probably very 
fortunate, for the next morning, as we stood into the harbor 
under full sail, with colors flying, a second battery opened on 
us. So we found it almost as difficult to get rid of our friends 
as our foes. "We came to anchor at 'New York on the Tth day 
of July, 1814:, and were much surprised to find that Captain 
Porter had not preceded us. He made his appearance a day or 
two later, however, and stated that when he left the Essex 
Junior he was much farther from the land than he supposed, 
and did not reach the shore until sunset. He had sailed along, 
being sufiiciently below the fog to notice all the movements of 
both vessels, and saw them making sail for the capes. He had 
great difiiculty in landing through the surf, and when he did 
get on shore, near Babylon, Long Island, was taken prisoner by 
the militia. On his j^roducing his commission, they gave him 
three cheers, fired a salute of twenty-one guns from a small 
swivel, and furnished him a horse and cart to carry his boat. 
On his arrival in New York he received a grand ovation. As 
he rode through the streets, the crowd became so enthusiastic 
that the horses were taken from his carriage and it was drawn 
all over the city by the people. 

" We were all put on parole until regularly exchanged or 
peace should be concluded. The Essex Junior was sold. Thus 
ended one of the most eventful cruises of my life." 



CHAPTEK VI. 

SCHOOL AT CHESTER CROSSES THE ATLANTIC. 

The transition from the deck of a man-of-war, and the stir- 
ring scenes in whicli he had so recently taken part, to the quiet 
of a school-room, offered a great contrast to the mind of young 
Farragut ; but he readily adapted himself to circumstances. He 
was fortunate, at this time, in the preceptor under whose influ- 
ence he came. He says : 

" I accompanied my friend Captain Porter to Chester, where 
I was put to school to a queer old individual named Keif. His 
method of instruction was simple in the extreme ; he had no 
books, but taught orally on such subjects as he desired us to 
understand. The scholars took notes, and were afterward ex- 
amined on these lectures. In the afternoon it was customary 
for us to take long walks, accompanied by our instructor. On 
these occasions Mr. IN^eif Avould make collections of minerals and 
plants, and talk to us about mineralogy and botany. The course 
of studies was not very regular, but we certainly had an oppor- 
tunity of gaining a great deal of useful information and worldly 
knowledge. We were taught to swim and climb, and were 
drilled like soldiers — branches of instruction to be accounted 
for, probably, by the fact that the old gentleman had been one 
of Napoleon's celebrated guards. I do not regret the time 
passed at this school, for it has been of service to me aU through 
life. 

""While I was at Chester the remnant of the old Essex's 
crew passed through, on their way to the Potomac River, to 
defend AVashington. I begged to go with them, but Captain 
Porter was inexorable ; he said that I was too young for land 
fighting. I therefore missed the engagement at White House, 



50 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

when Captain Porter attempted to intercept the enemy's vessels 
after the capture of Washington. 

" On the last of I^ovember, 1814, I was exchanged, and im- 
mediately received orders to the brig Spark, Captain Thomas 
Gamble, then lying at New York, and was employed in fitting 
her out to join a squadron of small vessels, to be commanded by 
Commodore Porter, which were intended to prey upon the ene- 
my's commerce. I was quartered on board the John Adams 
receiving-ship. This was the first time in my life that I had 
been from under the control of a schoolmaster, or the watchful 
guardianship of Captain Porter, and, having been put in a mess 
with a set of wild young fellows, I was subjected to great temp- 
tation, the dangers of which I only escaped through that strict 
attention to duty the importance of which had been impressed 
on my mind by previous discipline. This was the view which 
my warm and sincere friend, Mr. H. Cocke, the First Lieutenant, 
took of the matter, and, when I have looked back with a feeling 
of horror to that period of my life, I have always remembered 
with gratitude his counsels and kind-hearted forbearance. 

" Just as our squadron had completed its outfit and was 
ready for sea, peace was proclaimed. In March or April, 1815, 
I received orders to the Independence, Y4, Commodore Bain- 
bridge, then lying at Boston and fitting out for sea. "War 
having been declared against Algiers, we sailed for the Medi- 
terranean in company with the Congress, Captain Morris, and 
the Erie, Captain Ridgely. Captain Crane commanded the 
Independence, and I was assigned to duty as his aid. "We ar- 
rived out too late to take part in the war. Commodore Decatur 
having thrashed the Algerines, taken a frigate and brig from 
them, and made peace with the Bey. We touched at Gibraltar, 
and thence proceeded to Carthagena, where we found all the 
squadron except the Guerriere and Epervier. We next showed 
ourselves off Tripoli, then ran down the Barbary coast and 
crossed over to Malaga, where we had an entertainment on 
board. Thence we sailed to Gibraltar, where I visited the cele- 
brated fortifications, which I examined with great interest. 

" While at this port I saw. probably, the largest American 



SCHOOL AT CHESTER— CROSSES THE ATLANTIC. 51 

fleet ever assembled in European waters, consisting of the Inde- 
pendence, 74: ; Congress, 36 ; Erie, 22 ; Macedonian, 36 ; Onta- 
rio, 22 ; Chippewa, 16 ; Boxer, 16 ; Spark, 12 ; Epervier, 16 ; 
Enterprise, 12; Flambeau, 12; Torch, 12; Firefly, 14; Spitfire, 
12; and Lynx, 8 — 15 vessels, 320 guns. 

" As our ship was leaving Gibraltar, homeward bound, the 
Guerriere, Commodore Decatur, arrived at the port. He came 
alongside to make us an ofiicial visit, and, after exchanging 
courtesies, we parted company, the Guerriere entering the har- 
bor and we continuing our homeward course. During the pas- 
sage we had a fine opportunity of seeing the squadron exercised 
by signals. The manoeuvi'es were confined, however, to closing 
and spreading, general quarters, reefing top-sails, and making 
and shortening sail. The use of signals was quite a passion 
with Commodore Bainbridge. 

" "We arrived at Newport, Bhode Island, after a passage of 
forty days. Here the squadron wintered, with the exception of 
our ship, which went to Boston. Captain Eidgely, who was 
then in command, having exchanged with Captain Crane, who 
took the Erie, persuaded the' Commodore that his health was too 
bad to remain on board. After he left us we beat up to Boston 
in fine style. In fact, this was the first good opportunity we 
had of trying the sailing qualities of our ship, and they proved 
all that could be desired. 

" The cruise had been of great service to me. I had, during 
the time, formed the acquaintance of Midshipman William 
Taylor, one of the finest officers of his rank for many years in 
the service. He took me under his charge, counseled me kind- 
ly, and inspired me with sentiments of true manliness, which 
were the reverse of what I might have learned from the ex- 
amples I saw in the steerage of the John Adam«. l^ever having 
had any real love for dissipation, I easily got rid of the bad in- 
fluences which had assailed me in that ship. 

" My next orders were to the frigate Macedonian ; but I re- 
mained in her only one month, when I was transferred to the 
Washington, then lying in President Eoads. She was com- 
manded by Captain Creighton, and bore the broad pennant of 



52 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

Commodore Chauneej, destined for tlie Mediterranean. Mr. 
B. Shubrick was First Lieutenant, and I was again Captain's 
aid. We sailed in the spring of 1816, stopping at Annapolis to 
receive on board Hon. William Pinkney, our Minister to Naples. 
We were honored on that occasion with a visit from President 
Madison and suite. He was accompanied by all the cabinet offi- 
cers and several other distinguished persons, among them my 
old friend Commodore Porter, who was then one of the ISTaval 
Commissioners. Our vessel was the first ship of the line that 
many of them had seen. I have good reason to remember the 
occasion, for I had gone on shore with the market-boat, and did 
not get off to the ship in time to see my clothes-chest before it 
disappeared down the hold, the receptacle of all encumbrances 
about the steerage, so that I was doomed to make my appearance 
in a somewhat shabby dress, or rather to keep out of the way 
as much as possible. We manned the yards, exercised the crew 
at quarters, and endeavored to afford our guests as much enter- 
tainment as possible, with which they were highly gratified. 

" Mr. Pinkney and family embarked, and we sailed for Gib- 
raltar, where we arrived after a pleasant passage of twenty-two 
days. The ship performed well, and we had a fine set of offi- 
cers, from the Commodore down. They were all seamen, and 
the Captain was the greatest martinet in the service. We had 
what is called a ' crack ship,' that is, she was in beautiful order, 
with the greatest quantity of ' bright work,' clean decks, and a 
well-drilled crew for performing their duty with dispatch. But 
all this was accomplished at the sacrifice of the comfort of every 
one on board. My experience in the matter, instead of making 
me a proselyte to the doctrine of the old officers on this subject, 
determined me never to have a ' crack ship,' if it was only to be 
attained by such means. It was no uncommon thing with us 
for the officer of the deck to call up the whole watch and give 
them two and three dozen a piece for the fault of one man, or 
perhaps for an accident. All hands were sometimes kept out 
of their meals for eight or ten hours, and once, at Algiers, the 
whole crew was kept on deck all night, for several nights in 
succession. What would I not give for my old journal of this 



SCHOOL AT CHESTER— OEOSSES THE ATLANTIC. 53 

cruise, wliich has been lost ! But perhaps it is all for the best ; 
though there was much in it that would be of interest, yet there 
are many things which I do not care to recall. 

" "We made but a short stay at Gibraltar, where we found all 
of the squadron except the frigate United States. Captain Shaw 
was in temporary command, and it was necessary to arrange 
matters with the new Commodore. "We sailed for Naples in 
company with the frigate Java, Captain Perry ; the Constella- 
tion, Captain Gordon ; the sloop Erie, Captain Crane ; the On- 
tario, Captain Downes ; the Peacock, Captain Podgers ; and the 
brig Spark, Captain Gamble. The ships all sailed remarkably 
well, and we reached Naples in five days, where we landed Mr. 
Pinkney with all the honors due to his rank, the whole squadron 
manning yards and firing a salute. Thence, after visiting Sicily 
and the Barbary States, we returned to Gibraltar. 

" By this time it was late in the season, and the suggestion 
was made to the Commodore that we should go into winter 
quarters ; but he laughed at the idea, so, after taking on board 
Mr. Shaler, our Consul General to Barbary, we repaired to Al- 
giers. "When we neared the coast, the Spark, which accom- 
panied us, took Mr. Shaler off and landed him. 

" "We lay off Algiers during the whole month of December, 
and were I to say in one continual gale, it would scarcely be an 
exaggeration ; for though the clerk of the weather would fre- 
quently flatter us into the belief that the worst of the gale was 
over, just long enough to get up the light spars, the wind would 
return with fresh vigor, accompanied by fog and rain, with such 
a heavy, chopping sea at times, that I thought our ship would 
actually roll over. I remember a most peculiar sea that came 
under my observation; three or four waves seemed to meet 
from different directions, and threw the water up forty or fifty 
feet in the air, resembling a jet dJ'eau. The savans on board 
attributed it to an earthquake, but we certainly felt no shock. 
"We were turned out so often at night that by the end of De- 
cember we became pretty well accustomed to the rough usage. 
At last the Commodore was convinced, by the length of the 
Surgeon's report, that we could not cruise with impunity in the 



54 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

winter season, and so it was determined to go into Port Mahon 
and refit. Before we reached that port we carried away our 
jib-boom and lost a man overboard, the only serious accident of 
this short but disagreeable cruise. 

" "We ran into the harbor with a head wind, clewed up and 
furled sails, and all the boats of the squadron being in readiness 
we were towed up to the naval station, where we remained until 
the following spring. During the winter we were engaged in 
breaking-out and restowing the hold, refitting our rigging, etc. 
We allowed the men to go on Kberty in squads, and, as they all 
lived in quarters at the IN'avy Yard, they were permitted to have 
two or three days in each week to amuse themselves with theat- 
ricals, exhibitions of jugglery, and other entertainments. 

" We fell in with Commodore Shaw at this port, and a for- 
mal delivery of the squadron took place. 

" On one occasion some of the young oflacers of the United 
States invited Commodore Chauncey's son, his nephew Mr. 
Clinton, and myself to a ball on board. At the time we were 
visiting the Ontario, so we adjourned to the United States, 
where we enjoyed ourselves very much until about midnight, 
when a boat came alongside with an order from Commodore 
Chauncey for us to repair on board our own ship immediately. 
l!^ow, Chauncey had given his son and Mr. Clinton permission 
to go on board the Ontario, and Captain Creighton, with whom 
I was a great favorite, had allowed me to accompany them ; 
but the Captain, being one of those who take their text from 
that portion of the Bible which says, * "Whom the Lord loveth 
he chasteneth,' in rather a literal sense, showed his displeasure 
as soon as I appeared, because I had ' dared to visit the States 
without his express authority.' After many angry expressions, 
he sent me below. As I had some curiosity to learn how the 
other boys would fare, I crept silently to the cabin door, and 
looked through the key-hole. There was Clinton sprawHng on 
the deck, and young Chauncey standing before his father, who 
was bestowing on him all the angry epithets in his vocabulary, 
until at length he slapped him over, and, upon the boy's regain- 
ing his feet, repeated the dose. "When they came into the steer- 



SCHOOL AT CHESTER— CROSSES THE ATLANTIC. 55 

age Clinton said to Chauncey, ' Why didn't you do as I did — 
lie still when lie first knocked you down? You might have 
known the old codger would knock you over again when you 
got up.' 

" For this afiair I was kept suspended thirty days." 



CHAPTER YII. 

A CRUISE IN THE MEDITEEEANEAN. 

Lt the spring of 181Y the squadron left Port Mahon for an 
extended cruise in the Mediterranean, during which many places 
of interest were visited, and ample opportunities afforded the 
officers for observation and recreation on shore. That this was 
a season of intense satisfaction to young Farragut, is evidenced 
by the entries made in his journal of that period. There was 
a strong tinge of romance in his character, a passion for the 
heroic, wliich was deeply gratified in visiting the scenes of some 
of the grandest events in the history of the world. It is not 
deemed important in this memoir to reproduce from his journal 
the mere description of places with which the reading public 
is already familiar through other authors, but rather to follow 
the text where the personal history of the writer is more directly 
involved. 

During the ship's visit to Malaga, Farragut mentions an en- 
tertainment given on board to the English Consul, Mr. Kirkpat- 
rick, whose daughter married the Count de Montijo, and became 
the mother of the late Empress of the French, Eugenie. He 
also mentions visiting the public buildings of this "picturesque 
old Spanish town," among them the magnificent cathedral, and 
refers to the practice of assassination among the lower orders as 
being fearfully prevalent at that time. Algesiras possessed no 
attractions for him, except that its bay had been the scene of so 
many celebrated naval fights. Naples he regarded as a place of 
intense interest. He says : " I visited Pompeii, Herculaneum, 
and the palace of Murat, all of which have been so beautifully 
described by other writers that it is unnecessary for me to go 
into details. Mount Vesuvius alone is worth a trip to ISTaples. 
I saw it in active eruption on the occasion of my first visit in 



A CRUISE IN" THE MEDITERRANEAN. 57 

1816. Captain Creighton allowed us one of the ship's boats, 
and we coasted along the bay, visiting Baiae, the Baths of Nero, 
the Sibyl's Cave, Posilippo, and the Grotto del Cane. At the 
latter place I saw an experiment made on a dog, by holding his 
nose to the ground. The poor animal was thrown into spasms, 
from the effect of the mephitic gas that exudes from the cave. 
At ISTero's Baths we boiled eggs by lowering them in a basket 
into the boiling spring, the waters of which are about three 
hundred feet below the surface of the ground. The whole 
country around seemed to be situated over a fm*nace. In bath- 
ing we could feel the heat perceptibly by digging into the sand 
at the margin of the sea. 

" It is impossible to describe all the scenes and matters of 
interest which came under my observation at this period ; but 
the pleasure which I experienced during my sojourn in the Bay 
of J^aples left the most vivid and grateful impressions on my 
mind. While we were there, the Emperor of Austria and the 
King of l^aples, with their respective suites, visited our ship. 
Everything was in fine order on board, and a grand display was 
made to entertain our illustrious guests. I acted as interpreter 
to the Emperor on that occasion. Prince Mettemich was of the 
party, and I remember that he laughed at me, during our tour 
around the ship, for addressing the Emperor as 'Mister.' At 
that time the Prince appeared to be about fifty years old, short 
and stout, but by no means bad looking. The Emperor was the 
only one of the party whose appearance struck me as ridiculous. 
He seemed to be a mere puppet, was attired in a white coat 
with two loops of silk cord on each shoulder, buttoned to the 
collar, five large stars on his breast, and wore short, red breeches, 
with stockings and military boots. His cocked hat was deco- 
rated with a green plume, and he took short, mincing steps, pre- 
senting to my youthful mind altogether a silly appearance. The 
King of Naples was a tall, raw-boned, common-looking man. 

" For their amusement we exhibited and fired some new 
seven-barreled pieces which belonged to the ship's armament, 
and everything was going on very pleasantly, when one of the 
Emperor's chamberlains mistook the wind-sail for a mast, and, 



58 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAPwRAGUT. 

leaning against it, was precipitated into the cockpit. He escaped, 
almost miraculously, with only a broken leg ; which was fortu- 
nate in more than one respect, for, as it was, the occurrence 
threw the company into a terrible state of alarm, and it really 
appeared as if their majesties feared we had some evil design 
on their persons. At any rate, their boats were called away 
very soon after the accident, and they returned to the city. The 
chamberlain was attended by our surgeon, and removed to his 
apartments in the city as soon as it was deemed safe to do so. 
When our doctor took his final leave of his patient, he was pro- 
fuse in his thanks and offered him a rouleau of doubloons, which 
of course was courteously dechned. 

" At Leghorn I had some experience in regard to the quaran- 
tine laws, which are very strict in their requirements and are 
rigidly enforced. The first thing that attracted my attention 
on landing was a monument to a former duke, of whom the 
story goes that, having captured four pirates in one of his expe- 
ditions, he was so elated by his success as, on his return from 
sea, to refuse to observe the rules established by the quarantine 
laws, and was shot for his temerity. 

" Many of the officers went to Eome, but I had to content 
myself with a distant view of the dome of St. Peter's as we 
coasted along. "We crossed over to Syracuse, where the only 
objects of interest were an old amphitheatre and Dionysius's 
Ear. I was struck with the filth and miserable appearance of 
the place and its inhabitants. We passed through the Straits of 
Messina, on which occasion the Commodore had a corporal's 
guard stationed at the gangway to shoot the pilot, in case he ran 
the ship on shore. We got through, however, without difficulty. 

" Crossing over to the Barbary coast, we paid a short visit 
to the fortified town of Tripoli. This place has nothing to 
recommend it to the attention of travelers. Being close to the 
desert, it is swept by the southerly winds, which bring a suffo- 
cating heat and clouds of burning sand on their way to the 
Mediterranean. There are but few Christian families. 

" Tunis is a more agreeable place, and the Christian com- 
munity is larger and more decidedly interesting. 



A CRUISE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. 59 

" "We found Algiers better fortified than either of the above- 
named places, but, owing to the depth of the water, ships of 
war are enabled to approach very near the harbor defenses, ren- 
dering them vulnerable to attack. The anchorage at all these 
places is dangerous, as ships are constantly exposed to northern 
gales. The Tunisians avoid this by mooring their ships in a 
lake which is connected with the sea by a canal ; but they are 
compelled to move them outside to take in provisions or fit them 
for sea, the depth of water in the lagoon not being more than 
six or seven feet. 

" We returned for the winter to Port Mahon, which is one 
of the best harbors in the world. The Spaniards gave us the 
free use of their navy yard, and we had every facility for refit- 
ting our ships. The men were permitted to go on shore here 
without any danger of their deserting or being maltreated. The 
inhabitants are kind-hearted, very partial to Americans, honest, 
clean, and faithful. 

" In the spring of 1818 the squadron made another cruise, 
visiting the same ports as in the previous year, but in different 
order, going by way of the African coast, where we remained a 
considerable time. There was a constant rivalry between the 
different vessels in regard to sailing and working ship. We 
had, undoubtedly, as smart a squadron as had ever been seen in 
those waters ; but our high state of discipline was acquired, as 
I have before remarked, at the expense of much severity and 
many heart-burnings. The Commodore and captains, with the 
exception of Shaw, who rather took sides with the younger offi- 
cers, were very arbitrary. The lieutenants and midshipmen 
sent home memorials, complaining of the conduct of these gen- 
tlemen. The appeal of the midshipmen was highly approved 
by the Navy Department ; but that of the lieutenants contained 
something like a threat if justice were not done them, and was 
disapproved by the Secretary. 

" The immediate cause of these remonstrances was the con- 
duct of one captain in striking the marine officer, and of another 
in striking a midshipman. When the latter demanded redress, 
he was immediately placed under arrest. A general court-mar- 



60 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. 

tial was held on these four officers, the result of which was, that 
the captains were acquitted on all the charges, and complimented 
on having their swords returned to them ; while the marine 
officer and midshipman received a reprimand for their temerity ! 
This brought matters to such a pass that the situation was in- 
tolerable, and the juniors immediately memorialized Congress. 
From this period the powers assumed by the post captains were 
moderated, whereas before this event, with the exception of a 
question of life or death, the absolute authority which they 
assumed was but little inferior to that of the Czar of all the 
Kussias." 



CHAPTEK YIII. 

STUDY AOT) TEAVEL IN TUNIS. 

" In the autumn of 1817 Mr. Anderson, our Consul at Tunis, 
being desirous of returning to tlie United States, procured for 
our Chaplain, Mr. Charles Folsom, the appointment to that 
consulate. I received permission to accompany Mr. Folsom 
and remain with him for a short period, under circumstances 
which will be explained by the following letter : 

" « GiBBALTAE, Octoler U, 1817: 
" ' Sir : I beg leave to request that Midshipman Farragut 
may be permitted to reside with me during the winter at Tunis, 
and pursue his education under my care. The grounds of my 
request are the following : Mr. Farragut has been, almost from 
infancy, in the naval service, with exceedingly limited oppor- 
tunities of improving his mind. His prospects in life depend 
on his merits and abilities in a peculiar manner, as he is entirely 
destitute of the aids of fortune or the influence of friends, other 
than those whom his character may attach to him. 

" ' During his connection with this ship a favorable change 
has been observed in him. He has acquired a sense of charac- 
ter and a manly tone of thinking from which the best results 
are to be expected. His desire of cultivating his mind, which 
at first was feeble, has grown into an ardent zeal. His attention 
to his studies of late, the manner in which he has repaid my 
endeavors to advance his knowledge, his improving character, 
and his peculiar situation, have conspired to excite in me a 
strong interest in his welfare, and a wish to do all in my power 
to promote his education. At this critical period of his life, the 
opportunity he may enjoy with me may prove of incalculable 
advantage to him, while his conduct for some time past affords 



C2 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKEAGUT. 

a pledge that lie will not be disposed to abuse it. He sees that 
Mr. Ogden, bis constant companion in service, has been mani- 
festly benefited by a similar indulgence, and a generous ambi- 
tion makes bim unwilling to be surpassed by one witb whom he 
has formerly been put in competition. 

" ' This request is made with the greatest deference, on the 
supj^osition that the subject of it coincides with, rather than 
contradicts, the views of the Government with regard to young 
officers, and that it cannot be repugnant to the wishes of Captain 
Porter or any other patron of Mr. Farragut. 

" ' I feel assured, sir, that you will rightly appreciate my 
motives in making this application, and that, if it cannot be 
com]3lied with, it will be owing to the exigencies of the public 
service, and not to a want of disposition to do whatever may 
bid fair to be essentially serviceable to the young gentleman in 
question. 

" ' With the highest respect, 

" ' I am, sir, your obedient servant, 

" ' Chakles Folsom. 
" * Commodore Chatjncey, 

" ' United States ship Washington.' 

" In the following month of !N"ovember, Mr. Folsom and I 
took passage on board the sloop Erie for Marseilles, where we 
arrived after a pleasant run. We lay snugly inside the mole at 
that place for ten days, during which I went sight-seeing and 
also passed much of my time very agreeably in society. I be- 
came acquainted with the families of Messrs. Fitch & Mont- 
gomery, the most extensive American house in Marseilles at 
that day. 

" I had a rather disagreeable affair on the occasion of a din- 
ner party at Mr. Fitch's. I was obliged to play whist in the 
evening, much against my inclination, for I had no fondness for 
cards. Kot getting along very well with my hand, the party 
showed great impatience, and I thought were rather insulting 
in their remarks. One individual went so far as to dash his 
cards on the table in derision of my play, when I returned the 
compliment by throwing them at his head. I apologized to Mr. 



STUDY AND TRAVEL IN TUNIS. 63 

Fitch and retired, much mortified at being compelled to violate 
the proprieties of the occasion and the feelings of my host, but 
my temper had been sorely tried. 

" From Marseilles we proceeded to Tunis. This city is situ- 
ated on a broad and beautiful plain, bounded in the distance by 
lofty mountains, at the mouth of the Mejerda, on the west side 
of an oval lagoon which is connected with the Bay of Tunis by 
a goUetta. It is surrounded by a double wall, the exterior one 
being about five miles in circuit, inclosing the suburbs, and 
pierced by four gates. The interior wall, which is higher, in- 
closes the city proper and has six gates. The harbor is defended 
by a castle which completely commands the golletta, and by 
several detached forts in other directions. As our ship ap- 
proached, the town became visible at a considerable distance, 
rising in long ranges of buildings of dazzling whiteness, present- 
ing a very striking and picturesque appearance. The impression 
thus made, however, is not sustained by a closer acquaintance. 
The streets are narrow and uneven, and the houses, which are 
generally brick or stone, present a very mean appearance on the 
outside. They consist of a single story, and the interior is in 
the form of a court with the apartments arranged around it, 
being much more attractive and often fitted up with great mag- 
nificence. Water is abundantly supplied, partly by an aqueduct 
from a neighboring spring, and partly from cisterns on the roofs 
of the houses, which collect the rain. The public buildings in- 
clude several mosques, adorned with fine marbles obtained at 
immense expense from ruins in the interior of the country. 
Tunis is three miles southwest of the site of Carthage, and de- 
rives additional interest from its proximity to that ancient seat 
of empire. 

" I resided in Tunis for nine months, pursuing my studies 
under Mr. Folsom, for whom I had formed a sincere attachment. 
I studied French, Italian, English literature, and mathematics. 
I found the society of the foreign consuls very agreeable ; par- 
ticularly the Danish consul, who extended to me a degree of 
hospitality and kindness that I shall never forget. His name 
was Gierlew. He had married the daughter of an English gen- 



64 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

tleman named Eobinson. I passed some weeks at tlie residence 
of this worthy couple, which was built on the site of Carthage, 
and enjoyed many happy hours wandering about in the vicinity. 
There are few or no relics of the ancient city, however, except 
the cisterns. 

" I had been pursuing my studies closely for about three 
months, when I found my health failing from the confinement 
in-doors, and the doctor recommended a trip on horseback. A 
journey to the interior of the kingdom was accordingly arranged. 
The party consisted of the Danish and French consuls, Mr. 
Folsom, and myself, with a French servant and a guard of sol- 
diers, furnished with a passport from the Bey. "We set out on 
our tour, having with us a covered cart, drawn by mules, to 
carry our bedding and other baggage. The party all rode on 
horseback, except that we occasionally took turns in the vehicle 
when the sun was very hot. The principal point of our expedi- 
tion was to visit the ruins of a splendid piece of Roman archi- 
tecture near Susa, the whole district around which place " is 
famous in connection with Julius Caesar's African campaign. 

" The first day's travel brought us to the town of Toar, situ- 
ated on the side of a mountain of the same name, visible from 
Tunis, and from which Carthage was supplied with water by 
means of an aqueduct, the remains of which are still to be seen 
in detached fragments stretching across the plains between the 
ancient city and the mountain. The spring whence the supply 
was drawn is well up on the side of the mountain, near which 
are the remains of a temple to the Water I^ymphs. The stream 
rushes down through the main street of the village, and winds 
its way to the base of the hill. There was quite an animated 
scene in the vicinity when we arrived ; all the villagers seemed 
to be engaged in getting water for their various domestic uses, 
and kept up a lively chatter. 

" Our escort, which consisted of a few Mamelukes under 
command of an officer, who was armed with the Bey's passport 
for our party, had a very summary mode of conducting affairs 
on the route. When within a few miles of a town, one of the 
soldiers was sent ahead to prepare lodgings for the night. He 



STUDY AND TRAVEL IN TUNIS. 65 

went to tlie Sheik, showed him the tiscara, or passport, and de- 
manded a house, with cooks and other servants. The Sheik 
generally replied that ' all was at his service.' The Mameluke 
made his selection forthwith, turned the occupants out of the 
place, and ordered clean mats spread and supper cooked, all of 
which was readily compKed with. On one occasion, when the 
meal had not been prepared exactly to our liking, the cook was 
called up by the oflScer and seized by the soldiers, who forthwith 
began to bastinado him ; but Mr. Folsom interfered and begged 
the poor fellow off. This summary mode of punishment was 
pursued throughout the journey, in consequence of which we 
foreigners expected to be murdered before we got back to Tunis, 
unless we returned by a different route. 

" We visited the towns on the sea-coast, and many of the 
villages in the interior of the kingdom. On the ninth day from 
Tunis we ascended rising ground, and saw in the distance, on 
an extensive plain that stretched out before us, the ruins of the 
splendid amphitheatre of El Jem. It towered above everything 
in the vicinity, and as we approached I discovered that the whole 
village was built from the crumbling fragments of the mighty 
ruin. 

" The day was one of the hottest I ever experienced. The 
cart would only accommodate three, and I being the youngest 
was compelled everlastingly to keep the saddle. I was protect- 
ed by a large straw hat on my head and another on my back, 
but despite all these precautions I received a stroke of the sun, 
which caused a partial paralysis of the tongue. For several 
hours I was unable to express myself or control my speech, and 
suffered severely from nausea. 

"We reached the house selected for our accommodation 
about sunset, ordered supper, and made arrangements for pass- 
ing the night. Although very much fatigued by our day's 
journey, having been constantly in the saddle, we felt a little 
nervous about sleeping in our new quarters, in consequence of 
the scowling faces of the inhabitants, who evidently looked upon 
us as so many ' sons of dogs ' — the epithet which they bestow 
on all Christians. Their deportment was not at all calculated 



GQ THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

to reassure us or add to our comfort, as it was quite evident that 
they were only restrained by fear of the Bey's vengeance, whose 
mandates were carried out in the most merciless manner by the 
Mamelukes. 

" When the supper came, it consisted of couscous, the princi; 
pal dish of the country, which is made of coarse-ground wheat, 
placed in an earthen pot, the bottom of which is filled with 
herbs. This is placed over another pot, in which beef and 
vegetables are boiled, and cooked by the steam. It is seasoned 
with saffron, pepper, and other condiments. Unfortunately the 
cook, in this instance, had upset the pepper-pot into the mess, 
so that it was almost impossible to eat it. The Captain of the 
guard ordered him into his presence, and compelled him to par- 
take of the mixture until he howled with anguish, and then 
deliberately upset the remainder on his head. 

" The next morning we made a thorough examination of the 
amphitheatre. It was about 400 feet in length, and over 300 
feet in breadth, extending nearly east and west. There are 
three tiers of columns complete, and the pedestals for a fourth. 
Three corridors remain intact. The inclined plane on which 
seats were placed for the spectators was covered with Roman 
cement. But very few of the seats remain. The exterior of 
the structure consisted of hewn stones, three to five feet in 
length, and from two to three feet thick, with no sign of having 
been even cemented together. From many of the fragments of 
statuary, Mr. Folsom judged that this immense pile was built 
during the reign of the Gordians, but that is mere conjecture. 
All the statues that were found have their heads broken off. 
The natives seem to have some superstition in the matter, and 
consider it a religious duty to carry out this act of vandalism. 

" Being rather tired of carrying my gun around, I left it at 
our hut, but thought it prudent to keep my pistols in my pocket, 
as I had noticed a suspicious-looking Bedouin following me 
when I was strolling around the building alone, and on return- 
ing to join my companions I met the fellow, who, supposing 
that I was unarmed, ran toward me with an uplifted club, a 
weapon they all carry. When he came within a few feet I pre- 



STUDY AND TRAVEL IN TUNIS. Q^ 

sented botli pistols, and lie immediately turned and fled in tlie 
most cowardly manner. I mention this incident to show the 
willingness with which they would have destroyed our party if 
we had not been under the protection of the Bey's soldiers. On 
the route we frequently saw piles of stones, indicating the spot 
where some poor traveler had been waylaid and murdered. 
The custom of the country requires passers by each to cast a 
stone on the grave of the unfortunate, as a tribute of respect. 

" The Bedouins say there is a charm or sacred influence 
about the ruins of El Jem, and give as an evidence a statement 
that the hawk, pigeon, and other birds will roost together among 
the ruins without attempting to injure one another. I myself 
saw a pigeon-hawk sitting close beside a pigeon without evinc- 
ing the least sign of hostility. 

" On the evening of the second day after our arrival we 
started for the sea-shore, and hoped to reach the town of Mon- 
nestin by eight or nine o'clock a. m., but did not succeed in 
doing so until 4 p. m. "We were received with great kindness 
by the Sheik, who informed us that he had been in Europe and 
knew something of our customs. He provided us with a fine 
supper, and afterward joined our company, smoked his pipe, 
and drank his wine as freely as any Christian. He called the 
next day, and said he would give us a dinner in European style, 
at which he would be present. The Moors, in common with 
other Mohammedans, have their meats cut up, and eat with 
their fingers ; but on this occasion we had joints, and carved for 
ourselves. For the last course we had a variety of sweatmeats 
and excellent wine, our host remarking that we (meaning Euro- 
peans) were the only people who knew what good wine was, and 
that he therefore sent to France for his own supply. He drank 
a bottle, and four solid glasses of brandy, which seemed to have 
no bad effect on him. When we parted, he presented me with 
a gazelle. 

" Leaving our hospitable Sheik next morning, we changed 
our route to the eastward. About midday we arrived at a large 
village, and, to our astonishment, were greeted with all the vile 
epithets to be found in the Arabic language. The Captain 



68 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

threatened tliem witli the bastinado ; but they hooted at him 
and threatened, on their part, to stone us all. We now preiDared 
for battle, and being well armed only awaited the orders of the 
Mameluke whom we regarded as our commander-in-chief. He 
proved himself worthy of our confidence, and, with his com- 
panions, stood firm and defied the mob, which became so large 
as to block up the narrow street. The Captain now addressed 
them, and declared that the first man who touched one of us 
should die on the spot, that their streets should flow with the 
blood of the inhabitants, and that the head of the Sheik should 
pay the forfeit for their disregard of the Bey's tiscara. This 
also was received with shouts of derision. Our leader now asked 
if we were all ready, which was promptly answered in the af- 
firmative. Then giving the command ' Forward ! ' sword in 
hand he led us through the street, the mob giving way to the 
right and left with shouts of scorn ; but not a blow was struck. 
The slightest wavering on the part of the soldiers would prob- 
ably have cost us our lives ; for, in their rage, they would scarce- 
ly have remembered the lesson taught by their late master, Sidi 
Mohammed, who, missing one of his hunters, sent an army and 
brought in all of the inhabitants, when he began bastinadoing 
and cutting off heads, until two individuals confessed that they 
had murdered the man for the trappings on his horse. 

" Passing through the village, we encamped a mile beyond, 
under a large olive-tree, but had scarcely finished our repast 
when a body of men was discovered approaching us. "We 
packed up our things, and prepared to meet them ; but it was 
soon apparent that their intentions were peaceable. The pro- 
cession was headed by an old man, who said that they came to 
ask forgiveness for the offense committed by their young men, 
that he was very old, and hoped, for the honor of his family, 
we would not be the cause of his ignominious death and the 
confiscation of their property. He implored so humbly that we, 
at least, gave way and told him we would pardon him, but that 
the first time we heard of a similar act of treachery we would 
enter our own complaint to the Bey. The Mamelukes yielded 
most reluctantly ; but the matter was finally settled and peace 



STUDY AND TEAVEL IN TUNIS. 69 

ratified by our breaking bread witli the Arabs, in token of good 
faith. This ceremony consisted in our partaking of a large dish 
of cakes and honey with them. 

" In the course of a few days we arrived, about sunset, at the 
town of Sidi Soliman, on the west shore of the Bay of Tunis. 
We were astonished at the deserted appearance of the place. 
Hogs and cattle wandered through the streets, but all the houses 
were closed, and not a human being could be seen, far or near. 
The plague was on the land ! It was too desolate to permit our 
remaining, even for the night, so, fatigued and weary, we pushed 
on, though we had been eighteen hours in the saddle. Finally, 
human nature could stand it no longer, and we took possession 
of a fine house on the outskirts, and enjoyed a good rest in spite 
of our fears. The next day we arrived at Tunis. 

" After a few days' rest we set out for the ruins of the an- 
cient city of Utica. On the route we visited some of the Bey's 
palaces, which we found arranged with great taste and regard 
for convenience. We crossed the river Mejerda, a deep and 
rapid stream, by means of a scow, and soon arrived at the ruins 
of the city. There is but little left to indicate the locality. It 
is clear that the features of the surrounding country have com- 
pletely changed since Utica was in her glory, and there is every 
evidence that the sea has receded seven or eight miles, in con- 
sequence of which the very site of the city had been a matter 
of doubt among the savans until the time of Shaw. The old 
sea-wall, however, which is overgrown with plants, can be easily 
traced. The cisterns are in a better state of preservation than 
those of Carthage ; only six of these remain, and they measure 
135 feet in length by about 20 feet in breadth. Their depth 
could not be ascertained, because of the accumulation of earth 
which had washed into them. There was nothing else worthy 
of note. 

" We visited the town of Porto Farma, where the Bey was 
spending a few days. This place is a rendezvous for small ves- 
sels engaged in the coral fishery. The deposits from the river 
Mejerda have completely closed the harbor, and the bay has be- 
come so shallow that only vessels drawing eight to ten feet could 



70 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

enter where, witliin tlie recollection of many old inhabitants, 
ships of the line could once anchor. 

" The coral fishery is carried on by Neapolitans, and they 
have a small schooner of war on the coast for their protection. 
The Government of Naples pays a bonus to the Bey for the 
privilege. The coral is collected principally with a hook and 
line, that lying in the deep water having the rich, red color so 
much prized. 

" We sent a communication to the Bey, to say that it would 
afford us pleasure to pay our respects to him in person. He 
kindly and promptly appointed the next morning for our recep- 
tion. When we were ushered into his presence, we found his 
highness to be about the medium height, rather corpulent, and 
apparently about sixty-five years old. He was seated cross- 
legged on a low divan, and received us very graciously, waving 
an invitation to us to be seated also. He wore no ornament ex- 
cept a large diamond ring on his thumb, which some of us esti- 
mated to be worth about a thousand dollars. The conversation 
was about every-day affairs, easy and familiar, and we left feel- 
ing that we had been treated very courteously." 



CHAPTER IX. 

HIS RELATIONS WITH CHAKLES EOLSOM QUAR.iJSrTmED AT LEG- 

HOEN ADVENTURES AT PISA. 

If any apology were necessary for publishing the simple and 
somewhat fragmentary journal of this early portion of Admiral 
Farragut's life — ^beyond the fact that the public has always 
manifested an interest in the every-day doings of distinguished 
men — it might be found in the high expectations which even 
then his avidity for learning, keen observation, and almost 
precocious manhness excited in those who had charge of 
his education. Mr. Kichard B. Jones, United States Consul 
at Tripoli, writing to Mr. Folsom under date of January 20, 
1818, said : 

" With regard to my young friend Farragut, if he will only 
apply steadily to useful purposes the talents with which he is so 
bountifully enriched, it must, with his amiable disposition and 
obliging manners, insure him the respect and esteem of all who 
know him, and place him, at some future period, high in the 
niche of fame." 

And four months later. May 15, 1818, the same correspon- 
dent, still writing to Mr. Folsom, said : 

"You will see by the papers forwarded to you, that the 
United States have taken possession of Amelia Island. We 
have also troops on the frontier of Florida. But we shall act 
on the defensive, unless compelled by self-defense to di'ive the 
Spaniards from that country. Our eight seventy-fours, tell the 
young Admiral, are to be finished without delay, as well as 



72 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKKAGUT. 

some more frigates. Timber is getting ready for others, and 
every possible measure is being taken to place our navy on a 
respectable footing." 

When Farragut was in tbe full tide of fame acquired in our 
civil war, nearly half a century after the events thus far record- 
ed in this chapter, the following correspondence passed between 
him and Mr. Folsom : 

" Beookltn Nayy-Yaed, October 2, 1865. 
" My Dear Fkiend : I sent you by express a token of my 
respect and affection, which I beg you to accept as such. It 
will, I hope, be a pleasant reminiscence of our early association, 
as it sets forth two great epochs of our connection, as well as 
my poor brain could suggest and the skill of the artist could 
execute from such rough sketches as I could make, to indicate 
the desire of my heart to recall to your mind ihe beginning and 
the end of our eventful association. Although an artist does 
not think a picture should require its name to be written over 
it, still I fear the lack of genius in my sketches makes an expla- 
nation necessary. I have endeavored to portray our landing at 
Tunis in the United States ship Erie, you, as United States Con- 
sul, receiving the salute due your rank. You are accompanied 
in the boat by Midshipman Farragut, your humble servant. 
On the right can be seen Sidi Soloman and the ruins of Car- 
thage. In the sequel, the old Hartford is gracefully lying at 
anchor, bearing the flag of the Yice Admiral, commanded by 
another dear friend. Captain P. Drayton, who has just passed 
away. I surmounted the inscription to yourself with the crest 
which your research and devoted friendship exhumed from 
Spanish history as belonging to the name of Farragut. I had 
hoped to have made this an autograph letter ; but my eyes failed 
me, and I have been compelled to ask Mrs. Farragut's aid as an 
amanuensis. She joins me in warmest remembrances to you 
and yours. 

" Believe me, as ever, your sincere friend, 

" D. G. Faeeagut." 



HIS EELATIONS WITH CHARLES FOLSOM. 73 

" Cambeidge, 9th October^ 1865. 

" My Deae Boy : Tour letter of the 4tli instant irresistibly 
carries me back, not unwillingly, to the time when — precisely 
on the 9th of October, 1818, at the Goletta — I strained you to 
my bosom, fervently kissing each cheek, as I gave you my part- 
ing blessing, mingled with my tears. I slowly returned across 
the dreary lake to my now cheerless home, weejDing and discon- 
solate, for its light seemed quite gone out. My earliest comfort 
came from the reflection that you were safe from the threatened 
evil, and I was next supported by a strong inward assurance 
that our past friendship, so pure and lovely, would in some way 
be blessed to you in your personal character and in your profes- 
sional career. 

" "With me, the things of these days have ever been ' laid 
up in my heart.' And now, what should be my joy and grati- 
tude that I live to see my early friend true, amid all the trials 
and vicissitudes of so many years, to the principles with which 
he then set out, a shining example of manly virtue, supremely 
blessed in all the relations of private life, conducted by Provi- 
dence to the highest pinnacle of his noble profession, and en- 
abled to plan and achieve what has secured to him undying 
renown in the history of his country and age ! 

" I was ever on my guard, my dear Farragut, against flatter- 
ing you when young, so easy was it for admiration and affection 
to slide into extravagant praise. Now, indeed, I may join my 
enthusiastic countrymen in their applauses for all you have ac- 
complished in your profession for the welfare of the nation ; for 
I, if any one has, have eagerly watched your perilous course 
with straining eyes and bated breath, and a nervous feeling of 
intimate personal concern. But my heart fondly turns rather 
to the man, whose first care it has been to deserve any success 
that might be vouchsafed to him; who, unaltered by actual 
success so marvelous, cherishes unabated and publicly avows 
old private regards ; and who has just sealed anew a friendship 
begun in days long distant, but not dim, by bestowing upon me 
and those dearest to me an inestimable and affecting memorial 
of his love. 



74 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

" It is in truth a magnificent poem to ns, of most precious 
significance, and of interest as lasting as the nature of the senti- 
ments it embodies. It is worthy of you. It will at once be the 
admiration of many appreciative friends, and bring me, from 
all quarters, congratulations without envy. In its appeal to 
successive generations it will add to their aesthetic enjoyment 
the moral charm which, in the eyes of present beholders, so 
blends with and enhances its richness and its rare artistic beauty. 

" Yom- letter, so full of kindness, which followed it and wiU 
be inseparable from it, I shall not now attempt to reply to in 
detail, further than to say that it is doubly precious from the 
hand that traced it for you (for us, shall I not say ?), and that 
your happy idea in the storied vase has been most successfully 
carried out. Thus it furnishes the suggestion of many a dear 
reminiscence, and the text for many an interesting narrative, 
beginning in private and expanding into national annals. You 
have much increased its interest to me by the commemoration 
of your dear friend Captain Drayton, whom I had lately learned 
to regard for his own sake, and at his true and great worth. 
You must consider this letter as the first expression not only of 
my own feelings on this happy occasion, but, inadequately, of 
those of my wife and daughter, who most heartily reciprocate 
the very kind assurances of yourseK and Mrs. Farragut. 

" With gratitude, tenderness, and allowable pride, 
" Your sincere friend, 

"Chakles Folsom. 

*' Vice- Admiral Faeeagtit." 

The journal of 1818 continues : 

" By invitation of one of the superintendents, we visited the 
tunny fishery. The establishment is situated on a high part of 
the coast, near Cape Sidi. The nets extend from the cape 
westward about six miles ; they are placed in parallel Knes, with 
connecting cross-nets, forming apartments, apertures being left 
at certain points for the fish to pass through as they come up 
the Mediterranean. They are said to approach the land in one 



HIS KELATIONS WITH CHARLES FOLSOM. Y5 

or two places only. We remained with the superintendent all 
night, and were very handsomely entertained, getting a good 
fish in the morning for breakfast. The * patron ' brought infor- 
mation that they had about four hundred fish in their nets, and 
one sword-fish ; so we embarked, and pulled off about a mile to 
the launches, which were riding by the nets while the small 
boats went in to drive the fish into the ' killing-room.' About 
twelve o'clock these boats closed up on this apartment on both 
sides, with a launch at either end. These launches were divided 
into five compartments, with four men in each, armed with 
short-handled hooks, while an exj)ert stood on the gunwale with 
a longer one. When the fish came to the surface, the experts 
caught them with great dexterity and hauled them toward the 
boats, within reach of the ' short hooks,' who pulled them into 
the launch.. All this was done with wonderful adroitness and 
rapidity, the man on the gunwale balancing himself without the 
least support. The fish were from three to five feet in length. 
During this exciting work the ' patron ' was in his boat, in the 
center of the net, encouraging the fishermen and occasionally 
throwing water over them in sport. The sword-fish was seen 
dashing through the crowd of tunnies, and occasionally running 
one of them through the body. His desperate efforts to escape 
from the net were of no avail, however, for, after the capture 
of over four hundred fish, the gentleman was carefully secured. 
He measured eight feet in length. 

" A short time after our return to Tunis the plague broke 
out. It was said to have been imported in a vessel from Algiers. 
The Christians barricaded their houses, and held no communi- 
cation with the outer world, except through the means of the 
Moorish domestics. The few who were obliged to go out to 
work nearly all died. I soon found the confinement extremely 
irksome ; for, though Mr. Folsom and I went out as usual, we 
were never admitted within the inner barricade. About the 1st 
of October, 1818, the Danish Consul resolved to leave the place 
with his family, and, as the deaths had increased to one hundred 
a day, I determined to accompany him to Leghorn in a Genoese 
brig which was about to sail for that port. We had a pleasant 



76 • THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

trip as far as the island of Sardinia, wlien a gale arose which 
compelled us to seek the shelter of a small harbor in the Isle of 
Pines until the wind abated. 

" When off Corsica, I went on deck one evening and found 
to my surprise that we were very close in shore, the swell setting 
us toward a point of rocks, and the current carrying us rapidly 
along. * It was a dead calm, and all hands, including the Cap- 
tain, were asleep ! I directed him to be called, but was informed 
that he had left orders not to wake him. I soon turned him 
out, however, but, on regaining consciousness, he was so much 
alarmed that he was utterly powerless to do anything. I told 
Mr. Gierlew that, unless the boats were got out and the vessel 
towed off, we should be on shore in less than an hour. This 
alarmed him, and he gave the necessary orders, threatening to 
cut off the Captain's head if he refused to obey, which had the 
desired effect. The boats were soon out, and by hard labor we 
just cleared the point of rocks, while the ghastly devils on shore 
were looking down on us like vultures watching their prey, 
waiting anxiously, no doubt, to see us wrecked ; but, much to 
their chagrin, we passed safely out of their reach. All hands 
went to prayers to give thanks for their delivery. 

" Upon our arrival at Leghorn we had to submit to a quaran- 
tine of forty days, being sent to the third lazaretto and locked 
up separately for twenty days; then, by great influence, we 
reached the first, and were all kept together for the remainder 
of the time. The following correspondence took place between 
Mr. Folsom and myself at this period : 

" ' Lazaretto, LKanoEN, Snd November, 1818. 
" ' My Deah Sie : "We arrived here yesterday evening, after a 
passage of twenty days with a continual head wind. Tou know 
what patient people we are. Our passage was a pleasant one, 
but long. Through the influence of Mrs. Gierlew's friends we 
got on shore the first day, into the third lazaretto. It is more 
like a prison than any place I ever set my foot in before. How- 
ever, it must do for forty days, I suppose, though our term of 
quarantine has not been made known to us yet. 



QUARANTINED AT LEGHORN. Y7 

" ' As for yom* dispatclies, tliey were broken open and smoked 
before I got on shore. You must know that it is impossible for 
these things to be attended to, as the letters must be delivered 
to the Captain of the vessel, and if we entered the lazaretto with 
a sealed letter, it would lengthen our quarantine. The ticket 
of Mr, Anderson I broke open and kept. There is no use in 
your tying dispatches with ribbon, because it is taken off im- 
mediately. 

" ' I addressed a note to Mr. Appleton with the dispatches, 
and I said you intended to wi'ite to him at the first opportunity. 

" ' On our passage we stopped at St. Peter's Island : it is in- 
habited by Tabaquines, and I scarcely knew I was out of Tunis. 
The town is miserable, and the people live by passing vessels. 
They were so afraid of us that, after they had supplied our 
wants, they ordered us to leave the place immediately, or they 
would fire into us. 

" ' We lay four days under Corsica, near the birthplace of 
J^apoleon, and we fished, etc., to pass the time. I gathered a 
couple of specimens of the herbs of that isle, which I here send 
you, tied with a fine piece of ribbon from yom' dispatches to 
Government. 

" ' We have been fortunate in arriving the day before the 
vessel sails for Tunis. The passages are longer this year than 
has been known before ; some ninety days from Constantinople ; 
forty and fifty from Alexandria. We all enjoy uncommon good 
health. There are no American vessels here at present. A 
corvette left here a week ago. 

" ' You can tell Mrs. Tulin that we arrived without the 
slightest accident on board, and also give them my respects ; 
say I shall deliver the flower-pot and otto of roses to Miss Bacri, 
but the letter, as I told you, was broken open and smoked with 
the rest, and I have no doubt it will be delivered. Give my 
respects to Knudsen and the French ladies. Mr. Eobinson has 
gone to Lisbon in a Portuguese frigate. 

" ' The Tuscan papers say that the English are expected off 
Genoa with an army to attack that place ; also that the English 
intend to evacuate Malta to the inhabitants. Fudge ! 



78 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

". ' My dear Sir, I have nothing more to say at present, but 
that we must be patient for forty days, and that I sincerely hope 
you keep a strict quarantine. Heaven deliver you from the 
plague, which we all think there is no doubt is in Tunis, and 
will rage there in a horrible manner. 

" ' I remain your affectionate and, I hope, well-beloved friend, 

"'D. G. Faekagut. 
'"To Chaeles Folsom, Esq., 

" ' Consul of the United States.' 

" ' Tuiris, November 4, 1818. 

" 'My Deak Faekagut: I wrote to you, October 18th, and 
inclosed my letter in one from Knudsen to Mrs. Gierlew, by 
way of Genoa. 

" ' I have lived much less pleasantly since you left me, partly 
because I am almost alone, and partly because the plague, with 
its attendant evils, increases daily. It is said that yesterday 
one hundred and seventy-five interments took place, which I am 
ready to believe, from the number seen from our house. 

" ' I am very impatient to hear the particulars of your voyage 
and of your situation in the lazaretto. Let me know where the 
squadron is when you write, what ship you join, and whatever 
you may suppose interesting to me. If you wish to hear from 
me, write frequently, that I may know whither to direct my 
letters. 

" * I have much to say to you, but not now. You are dear 
to me as a brother. Tour merit and happiness will always make 
me happy. If you should be unfortunate, I shall sympathize 
with you deeply ; if you prove less worthy than I have sup- 
posed, my grief and regret will be great indeed. 

" ' "When you leave the lazaretto, you may venture to buy 
the " Beauties of Shakespeare " and " Blair's Lectures on Ehe- 
toric." You will find them at the book magazine of Giuseppe 
Gamba, in the great street (Yia Ferdinando, No. 92). They are 
standard works, and will serve to form your taste. Hereafter I 
shaU have more to say to you on the subject of books and your 
studies. 



ADVENTURES AT PISA. 79 

" ' If you receive your money in Leghorn, you had better 
pay the sum I am to receive to Mr. Appleton, taking his receipt 
and giving me notice. Kemember me to the officers of the 
Erie, and all acquaintances. Say to Mr. Atwood in particular, 
that I regret not having the pleasure to salute him in person 
when the squadi'on was here. Deliver the dozen of otto of roses 
to Dr. Montgomery, with the inclosed note. 

" ' Ambrose and your other friends desu-e to be remembered 
to you in the warmest manner. You cannot express in too 
earnest a manner, to Mr. and Mrs. Gierlew, my esteem and good 
wishes. 

" ' Whether you will hear from me often, will depend on 
yourself. God bless yoa, my dear boy, and enable us to meet 
again. 

" ' Tours, 

" ' Chaeles Folsom. 

" ' To Midshipman D. G. Faeeagut, 
" 'Lazaretto, Leghorn.' " 

After getting free from the discomforts of the lazaretto, 
Farragut went to Pisa, where the naval hospital was estabhshed. 
He there found Drs. Heap and Kilson and Lieutenants Cassin 
and Eay. It was during the gay season, and his time was passed 
very pleasantly. The Grand Duke of Tuscany was at Pisa with 
all his court ; and a great many visitors came to^ enjoy the fes- 
tivities. Farragut, who had already become an accomplished 
linguist, made many agreeable acquaintances among the Italian 
nobihty and English tourists. Of the latter were Admiral 
Hotham and his son. A very wealthy lady, the Countess Mar- 
tioni, gave a splendid ball to the Grand Duke, to which the 
American officers were invited. Farragut attended this brilhant 
entertainment, and remarks, with his usual frankness : 

" The servants were most gorgeously dressed, and everything 
was calculated to captivate the eye, but not much to gratify the 
appetite. We were shown into the supper-room prepared for 
the Duke and liis suite, and allowed to feast — our vision — on 



80 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

the table. The entire service — dishes, forks, knife-handles even 
— was gold, and the changes on the side tables were of the same 
precious metal. We were permitted to walk around the table, 
and make our exit on the opposite side. 

" During the dancing I met with several little incidents, em- 
barrassing at the time to a youth of my age, but rather amusing 
when remembered afterward. At one time my shoe-buckle 
caught in the flounce of the Archduchess's dress. I kicked off 
the offending shoe with great elegance, and then knelt down 
and extricated it, with a suitable apology. Soon after this I 
trod on the Grand Duke's toe, and had to make another apology. 
Chagrined at my own awkwardness, I determined to retire, and 
looked around for my cocked hat, when I found that the Coun- 
tess Testa was using it for a foot-warmer ! I drew it to me 
rather unceremoniously, at which she remarked that I ' ought 
to feel myself highly complimented, and should not be offended.' 
To which I replied, ' Madam, it might be so considered in your 
country, but not in mine.' " 

About the 1st of December, hearing that the squadron had 
gone to Messina, Sicily, for the winter, Farragut, in company 
with Lieutenants Kay and Cassin, took passage for that place in 
an English schooner, and in due time reported for duty. He 
found Commodore Stewart in command. Commodore Chauncey 
having gone home in the Washington. The broad pennant was 
flying on board the FrankHn, 74, Captain Gallagher, to whom 
Farragut was appointed aid. The remainder of the winter was 
passed very pleasantly at Messina, with balls two or three times 
a week at the rooms of the American Consulate. During the 
afternoons they visited the arsenals, where the younger officers 
engaged in manly sports, in regard to which Farragut says, " I 
always held my own at all athletic exercises." 



CHAPTER X. 

HIS FIRST PEOMOTION A SUPPOSED PIRATE — ADVENTURES IN 

MEXICO. 

In the spring of 1819 he made another cruise in the Medi- 
terranean, in the Franklin, ending at Gibraltar. There, after 
much opposition, he was appointed an acting lieutenant on the 
brig Shark. In referring to his promotion, he says : 

" One of the important events of my life was obtaining an 
acting lieutenancy when but little over eighteen years of age. 
This caused me to feel that I was now associated with men, on 
an equality, and must act with more circumspection. When I 
became First Lieutenant, my duties were still more important ; 
for, in truth, I was really commander of the vessel, and yet I 
was not responsible — an anomalous position, which has spoiled 
some of our best officers. I consider it a great advantage to 
obtain command young, having observed, as a general thing, 
that persons who come into authority late in life shrink from 
responsibility, and often break down under its weight." 

The Shark sailed for Malta, and when off that island she ran 
an exciting race with the English packet brig Pigeon, bearing 
the news of the death of George III., and beating her in sight 
of a large concourse of people on shore. Rejoining the squad- 
ron, the Shark continued in company with the Franklin until 
parted during a heavy gale en route to Port Mahon. The latter 
pai-t of the winter was spent at Messina, and Commodore Stewart 
returned to the United States. While the Shark was at anchor 
in the harbor at Mahon, in the spring of 1820, Captain War- 
rington arrived with the Guerriere, bringing news that Commo- 
dore Bainbridge had come out to take command. On this Far- 



82 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. 

ragiit remarks, " It was high, time, as things had become a little 
mixed." 

He was now ordered home for his examination, and asked 
permission to return in the Guerriere ; bnt finding, on his ar- 
rival at Gibraltar, that her destination was changed to the coast 
of Africa, he took passage in the America, a merchantman. He 
was accompanied by a young gentleman named Seaton, brother 
to one of the lieutenants, and two invalided sailors from the 
squadron. When within a few days' sail of the United States 
coast, they fell in with a Colombian brig of war, which appears 
to have given the merchant captain and crew a pretty good 
scare. Farragut says : 

" It was perfectly calm. The stranger used his sweeps, and 
came up with us about 5 p. m. We took him for a pirate, and 
our Captain was so much alarmed that I assumed command, 
mustered the crew, and asked them if they would defend the 
ship. I had determined to compel the enemy, or ' pirate,' if 
possible, to sink us, rather than allow ourselves to be captured 
and reserved for some worse fate. 

" I was impressed, on this occasion, with the difference be- 
tween men-of-war's men and merchant men. The latter seemed 
to be very much alarmed at the idea of resistance, although they 
had no hope of mercy by surrendering ; while the former yield- 
ed instantly to my better judgment, and expressed their willing- 
ness to obey orders. Men trained to arms will never fail, if 
properly led. 

" By this time the brig was quite near us, and hailed us in 
Spanish. We made arrangements to sink the boat which they 
proposed to send alongside ; but, when she reached us, I asked 
the officer if he came as a friend, to which he replied in good 
English, ' Yes.' I told him to leave his arms in the boat, which 
he did, and came on board. He proved to be a Mr. Smith, of 
Baltimore, and offered to supply us with anything of which we 
stood in need. We took charge of letters for him. 

" I have referred to this incident to remark how easily men 
may defend themselves against pirates, if they do not become 



A SUPPOSED PIRATE. 83 

panic-stricken at tlie beginning. We liad a grindstone and a 
barrel of tar ready to sink the boat, and the example of the 
' blue-jackets ' had infused a new spirit into the crew, until they 
all appeared willing to fight to the last extremity. The Captain 
and the mates had entreated me, at first, to take off my uniform, 
thinking it would more certainly bring down on us the vengeance 
of the supposed ' pirate,' but I emphatically refused." 

When we consider that it was a boy of eighteen, orphaned 
at an early age, and thrown upon his own resom'ces, who ac- 
comphshed this feat of assuming command of a vessel in which 
he was a passenger, infusing a martial spirit into the crew of a 
merchantman in actual contemplation of an immediate battle, 
and preparing for a skillful and gallant defense against a sup- 
posed pirate, we can then see that the Admhal of after years 
was not made such in a day, or by the mere exigencies of the 
civil war, but was born for it and trained for it through a long 
experience. 

The America arrived at Washington, without further inci- 
dent, on the 20th of Kovember, 1820. Farragut says : 

" I was a stranger in my native land, knowing no one but 
Commodore Porter and his family. I was ordered to 'New York 
for my examination, and went in much trepidation, for this was 
only the second examination which had been held in our naval 
service, and we had very little information as to what course 
would be pursued by the Board. I felt qualified in seamanship, 
but doubtful as to mathematics." 

It appears that Farragut did not pass his examination so well 
as to satisfy his own ambition, and the disappointment brought 
on a temporary fit of doubt and gloom. As soon as the trial 
was over he went to Norfolk, where he had always been kindly 
treated, and, not being naturally despondent, he soon recovered 
his buoyancy, and fell in love with a charming young lady. 

In May, 1822, he was ordered to sea in the sloop of war John 
Adams, which sailed for Charleston, South Carolina, where in 



84 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

June she received on board the Hon. Joel E. Poinsett, United 
States Minister to Mexico, and Mr. Dodd for Guatemala. Sail- 
ing for Porto Rico, by some mistake of the pilot the ship ran 
into a dangerous bay of Santo Domingo, where she was very 
nearly lost. On the way to Vera Cruz she gave chase to a brig 
which had been mistaken for a pirate — not an unusual occur- 
rence at that time, as the Caribbean Sea was swarming with 
them. Farragut was sent in a boat to board the stranger, and 
the service nearly cost him his life, as the cutter in which he 
went was almost smashed to pieces alongside. She proved to 
be a Spanish man-of-war. 

Mr. Poinsett was landed at Yera Craz, which was then in 
possession of the Mexican party. The last foothold of Spain in 
her immense North American provinces was the strong fortress 
of San Juan de UUoa, at that time in the possession of her troops. 
Santa Anna had recently captured the city, and been promoted 
to the rank of Brigadier General for his success. After landing 
Mr. Poinsett, the John Adams moved down to the island of 
Sacrificios. 

In speaking of the Mexican hero, Farragut says : " I diHed 
with Santa Anna, in company with Mr. Poinsett. He was a 
young, good-looking fellow of five-and-twenty, and spoke in the 
most enthusiastic terms of Iturbide, the Emperor." Iturbide 
had just commenced his brief reign in the month of May, 1822, 
and such was the general prepossession in his favor, as one to 
whom the independence of the nation was chiefly due, that, with 
judicious management, he might have made peace with all his 
political enemies and consolidated the government under his 
own administration ; but he proved himself unfit for power. 
He interfered forcibly with the rights of Congress, defied its 
authority, and, within a few months after his accession to the 
throne, dissolved that body, substituting an assembly of his own 
selection. Disaffection spread rapidly, and soon broke into open 
revolt. Gaza, in the north, Santa Anna, who was Governor of 
Vera Cruz, and other notabilities, headed the insurrection. The 
Emperor was forced to succumb, and in March, 1823, abdicated 
the throne and fled the country. This unfortunate man returned 



ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 85 

to Mexico in July, 1824:, probably with the hope of restoring 
his fallen fortunes. He was recognized, taken prisoner, and 
delivered, by order of General Gaza, to the authorities of the 
Province of Tamaulipas. In pursuance of a previous legislative 
decree, he was shot on the 19th of the same month. 

Mr. Poinsett proceeded on his journey to the City of Mexico, 
and the John Adams sailed for Tampico, taking on board some 
specie and an old Spaniard who had been nineteen years engaged 
in surveying the coast. 

During this cruise Farragut gained a knowledge of the 
treacherous Gulf coast which proved of great service to him 
in after-life. Describing his first experience of a norther, off 
Tampico, he says : 

" We fell in with a New York schooner, the master of which 
was an old trader. Captain Renshaw sent me to bring him on 
board the Adams. At that time there was every indication of 
good weather, a clear day and a dead calm. As the old Captain 
came over the gangway a slight air from the north struck the 
ship, and he instantly remarked, ' I must go back to my vessel ; 
this is a norther.' I had scarcely time to take him to the 
schooner and return to our ship, when the gale burst upon us in 
all its fury. Such is the suddenness of these terrible storms, 
the approach of which none but the most experienced can 
detect. 

" After the storm the Captain determined to land an officer 
on the coast, to communicate with Mr. Poinsett and inform him 
that the Adams was in the offing. I was selected for this duty. 
The boat landed me at what was supposed to be a safe place, a 
'Yigia,' or lookout station for pilots. I was dressed in sum- 
mer clothes, except my uniform coat and cocked hat, had five 
doubloons in my pocket, and was armed with that foraiidable 
weapon, a midshipman's dirk-sword. We had scarcely lauded 
when the weather changed, and the boat had some difficulty in 
returning to the ship. An old Mexican met us on the beach, 
and the following conversation took place between him and 
myseK : 



86 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. 

" F. — How far is it to Tampico ? 

" Mex. — Three leagues. 

" F. — Have you a horse ? 

" Mex. — Si, Senor — ^yes, sir. 

" F. — Can you give me a guide % 

" Mex. — Follow the beach. 

" F. — How much for the horse % 

" Mex. — Dos pesos — two dollars. 

" F. — Bring him along. 

" The old fellow disappeared, and soon returned with a fine 
animal, nicely equipped with a native saddle covered with soft 
skins — a bed for the rider when necessary. I paid my ' dos 
pesos,' took leave of my shipmates, and started for Tampico. 

" In about an hour it came on to blow and rain furiously — 
in fact, another norther. I, however, reached the Tampico 
Kiver, but to my dismay found there was not a single habitation 
on my side of the stream. I shouted for some time, but the 
roaring of the surf and howling of the storm prevented any 
response reaching me ; so, wearied out and cold, I spread my 
recamno and prepared to pass a wretched night on the ground. 
About nine o'clock I heard the splash of oars, and called, 

"'Who's there?' 

" ' Friends,' was the reply, ' I thought you wanted to cross.' 

" ' So I do.' 

" ' Then come on. The weather is not very inviting to stay 
here.' 

" They directed me to turn the horse loose, as he would find 
his own way home, and to bring the saddle with me. 

" When I reached the other side, I found myself in a village 
of pilots and smugglers. I was ushered into the presence of the 
head man, ' Mata,' who asked my business. I informed him 
that I belonged to the ship of war lying off the coast, and wished 
him to send a pilot when she appeared off the bar. 

" ' Yery well,' said he. ' What else ? ' 

" * I wish to go to Tampico.' 

"'What! to-night?' 

"'Yes.' 



ADVEFTURES IN MEXICO. 87 

" ' I'll see if I can find any one fool enougli to accompany 
you.' 

" During this conversation I saw many inquisitive faces 
thrust in at the door to take a look at me. At length I was told 
that a fool had been found, and that he and the horses would 
be ready in half an hour. In the mean time I inspected my 
companion, and I must confess I was not greatly reassured by 
his personal appearance. I felt that I was among a lot of cut- 
throats, who were probably making plans to rob and murder 
me. 

" At 10 p. M. the horses were brought up, and, after assuring 
Mata that I would pay the guide the whole amount due for the 
horses and himself on my arrival at Pueblo Yiejo, as old Tampico 
is called in Spanish, I set off on one of the most miserable rides 
I ever took in my life. The distance was nine miles, through 
forests of prickly pear and swamps. Every now and then the 
guide would turn his horse around with great celerity, utter 
some oath or imprecation on himseK for losing the way, and 
then try a new route. He did this at least a dozen times, and 
every time he made the movement I drew my dirk and put 
myseK on the defense, supposing that he had now arrived at a 
suitable place to rob and murder me. I could only distinguish 
him through the darkness by his white clothing. Finally he 
called to me to let go the reins and allow the horse to pick his 
own way along, or I would get my neck broken. It was ap- 
parent that- we were descending a hill through a thick chaparral, 
and several times my cocked hat narrowly escaped being knocked 
off and lost. I know certainly that the lace and cockade were 
torn off. The horse would occasionally settle upon his haunches 
and slide fifteen or twenty feet before he could recover his foot- 
ing. 

" At last, much to my relief, we saw the welcome lights of 
the village, and my guide informed me that our fatigue of the 
night would soon be repaid by ' tortillas ' and coffee. As it was 
one o'clock a. m., however, I was satisfied with getting to bed 
and resting my wearied limbs. 

" I found, the next day, that Mr. Poinsett had not arrived 



88 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

from the City of Mexico, but had sent down thirty Americans, 
released from the prisons of that place through his influence, 
with orders for me to put them on board the Adams. I accord- 
ingly set off with them in canoes for the bar, where we soon 
arrived ; but the sea was breaking so heavily that it was impos- 
sible to cross. The ship was signaled farther down the beach, 
and we finally embarked with safety. 

" I had experienced a good deal of concern the night before 
from the consciousness of being in a rather helpless condition 
in case of danger ; so when I was ordered to Tampico again, to 
await the anival of Mr. Poinsett, I provided myself with a 
sword and pistols. 

" During my sojourn at Pueblo Yiejo I amused myseK attend- 
ing the fandangoes and parties given by the kind-hearted inhabi- 
tants. The norther raged without, but I had very little diffi- 
culty in making myself comfortable within. At the hospitable 
mansions of the Tampicans I acquired a considerable knowledge 
of the Spanish language, and I had also a fine opportunity of 
improving my horsemanship in my long rides to the most ele- 
vated highlands along the coast, to keep a lookout for our ship. 
It was at least fifteen days before she hove in sight, as our cap- 
tain was a very careful navigator. 

" Mr. Poinsett arrived during the second week, accompanied 
by Dennis A. Smith, of Baltimore, and several other Ameri- 
cans who had been released from the prisons. We went 
down to the bar, and found, to our disappointment, that a 
heavy fog had set in and the ship had not been seen since 
morning. We knew that all hands on board had been suffer- 
ing for want of bread, and Mr. Poinsett had caused a quantity 
to be baked at Tampico, which we had with us when we reached 
the pilot station. 

" The following conversation took place between Mr. Poin- 
sett and Mata. The surf on the bar was running very high, 
and we all thought it impossible to pass over. So it would 
have been with any other boats except the native launches, 
which are large, buoyant, and well adapted for this kind of 
service. 



ADVENTURES IN MEXICO. 89 

" Mr, Poinsett— Koidi, will you take us out to the ship in 
the offing ? 

" Mata. — I will take you over the bar to the ship, if she 
can be found. 

" Mr, P. — "What will you charge ? 

" M. — I will take you over the bar, pull until sunset, and, if 
I can find the ship, put you on board. You shall give me one 
hundred and fifty pesos. If I can not find her, I will return 
and land you, and you shall give me one hundred and fifty 
pesos. To-morrow morning take you out again, and go accord- 
ing to the same agreement until we put you on board or you 
get tired of attejnpting it. 

" Mr. P. — It is a bargain. 

" One of the party, who thought that Mr. Poinsett accepted 
the terms too readily, and who felt some timidity at the under- 
taking, asked if he had not some consideration for the Hves of 
others. Mr. Poinsett replied : 

" ' ISTonsense ! Kever put yourself to the trouble of arguing 
with a man who has you in his power. Have you any other 
means of getting on board except by this man's boats \ ' 

"'No.' 

" ' Then you must pay his price, and I think it is quite rea- 
sonable. As for the danger, when a man whose profession it is 
is willing to run the risk, you should not hesitate to go.' 

" This ended the conversation, and we soon embarked. The 
breakers were terrible ; but the launch rose beautifully, and 
shipped but a few gallons of water. After pulling awhile, to 
our great joy we heard a gun fired from the northeast, which 
was answered on our part by a pistol-shot. Muskets were then 
fired from the ship at regular intervals, and, guided by the 
sound, we soon reached the Adams, to the inexpressible satisfac- 
tion of all on board, as they had been on half a biscuit a day 
and short allowance of everything else." 

Shortly after this rough experience on the Mexican coast, the 
John Adams returned to Norfolk, where she arrived about the 
first of December. Here Farragut found the Mosquito fleet of 



90 . THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

Commodore Porter fitting out for sea to cruise against the 
pirates in the "West Indies. Anxious for service, and influenced 
probably by a desire to be once more under his old commander, 
he sought and obtained orders to the Greyhound, commanded 
by Lieutenant John Porter, a brother of the Commodore. 
After a severe winter, passed in fitting out, the fleet put to sea 
on the 12th of February, 1823, in a northeasterly gale. 



CHAPTEE XI. 

A CEUISE IN THE WEST INDIES AGAINST THE PIEATE8 — HIS FIRST 
COMMAND YELLOW FEVER. 

The cruise on whicli the young sailor was now bound proved 
to be one of stirring adventure and uncommon hardships. It is 
memorable in the history of our navy in connection with a sub- 
sequent act of great injustice to Commodore Porter, who was 
deprived of his command, rudely ordered home, and court- 
martialed, for resenting an insult to his flag and an outrage on 
his officers at the port of Faxardo, in the island of Porto Rico. 
The true history of this affair has been clearly and fairly set forth 
in previous publications, especially in the life of the Commodore 
by his son. Admiral D. D. Porter (Albany, 1875), and the vin- 
dication of his conduct is complete and triumphant. In his 
account of this cruise Farragut says : 

" I obtained orders to the Greyhound, Captain Porter, brother 
of Commodore Porter. After a most severe winter, we sailed 
on the 12th of February, 1823, in a northeast gale. We had 
not a single officer on board who had ever sailed before in a 
schooner, except myself, and I only for a short time; but I 
found the little experience which I had of the utmost impor- 
tance to me. It blew so heavily that we were compelled to take 
in all sail for an hour or two, and run under bare poles, until 
all the vessels had reefed their sails and made everything snug 
for the night. We used no great precautions on our vessel, 
however, only taking two reefs in the mainsail and square sail, 
thus having more sail on her than seemed prudent under the 
circumstances. At any rate, she dashed away from the squadron 
like a flying-fish skipping from sea to sea. Our Captain sat aft, 
perfectly composed, not. seeming to notice that the vessel was 
7 



92 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

over-pressed, and when I reminded him that ' she did not rise 
to the sea,' he replied, ' If she can't carry the sail, let her drag 
it.' Although the situation of the schooner was dangerous, it 
was truly ridiculous to see the Captain sitting on one side of the 
trunk, wrapped up in his cloak, and the First Lieutenant sitting 
on the other, bundled up, with an umbrella over his head. We 
soon ran the squadron out of sight, and I never expected to see 
daylight again ; but, much to my relief, the Captain went below 
about eight o'clock, leaving orders for me to look out for the 
vessel, and make or shorten sail according to my judgment. I 
soon got her under the foresail, and she scudded through the 
gale like a duck." 

The Greyhound arrived at the Mona Passage (the channel 
between Hayti and Porto Rico) in twelve days. While running 
along under her square sail, she discovered an English squadron, 
consisting of a frigate, a sloop, and a bidg. The frigate made 
signal to the brig, when she hauled out of line and fired a shot 
to bring the Greyhound to. Farragut says : 

. " There was much dispute on board our vessel as to whether 
the gun was shotted. We went to quarters, and the Captain 
gave orders if she fired again to return it without further com- 
mand. Sure enough, a second gun was fired, when Porter said, 
' Fire ! but don't hit her.' The brig, which mounted twenty 
guns, was now within musket range. Her officers were all on 
the poop-deck, and the shot from our long gun passed over in 
close proximity to their heads. When it is remembered that 
our schooner was of eighty-five tons, and mounted one long gun 
and two 18-pounders, it seems rather a saucy proceeding on our 
part. 

" The English Captain, who was a noble fellow, slapped his 
hand on his thigh, and remarked that ' none but a Yankee would 
have done that,' and, instead of sinking us, hailed and asked 
who we were. The reply was, ' A United States vessel of war.' 
He then said he regretted the mistake he had made in firing 
the second gun, and would send a boat with an officer to ex- 



CRUISE IN THE WEST INDIES AGAINST PIRATES. 93 

plain matters. It was amusing to see how furious the crews 
were. 

"When the English Captain heard that our Captain was 
sick, he sent his boat back with some fruit, and the coxswain 
who handed it over the side remarked, ' Here is some fruit for 
the shot you sent us.' Our boatswain's mate, who received it, 
replied, ' We have a gun apiece for you, and are always ready 
to fight or eat with you.' 

" We learned that the little Mosquito fleet was to windward, 
and that night we all ran into Porto Rico. A very sad affair 
occurred while we were lying here. The Fox was fired into 
from one of the forts, as she was entering the harbor of San 
Juan, and her commander, Lieutenant Cocke, was mortally 
wounded. It was a most provoking act, and the only excuse 
given by the Spanish authorities was the suspicion against all 
small armed vessels, excited by the filibustering expedition fitted 
out in the United States the year previous, to revolutionize 
Porto Rico, which, it was said, had entered the harbor of St. 
Bartholomew with the American flag flying. The English 
Admiral sent his surgeon on board to attend Lieutenant Cocke, 
who soon died, and all the English officers attended his funeral. 
Strong remonstrance was made by Commodore Porter in regard 
to this act, and apologetic explanations were received. 

"After watering and provisioning at Aguadilla, where the 
squadron rendezvoused, the whole fleet sailed for Key West, 
taking different courses to look out for pirates, as they were 
now on piratical ground. The Greyhound, Ferret, Weasel, 
Henly, and Kenna took the southern route, looking into all the 
nooks and corners on the south side of Santo Domingo and 
Cuba. A close examination was made of Cape San Antonio, 
which was said to be one of their favorite haunts ; but only a 
few fishermen were found, ' poor, innocent-looking fellows,' but 
true pirates when the occasion served them. 

" On the arrival at Key West many changes were made, 
with better preparations for boat expeditions. Captain Law- 
rence Kearny, who had distinguished himself in conquering the 
Greek pirates of the Mediterranean, took command of our 



94 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. 

schooner. Some of the barges fitted out crossed the Gulf to 
the coast of Cuba, and rendered efficient service. Lieutenant 
"Watson, with the barges Gallinipper and Mosquito, thirty-one 
men and officers, captured a piratical schooner of sixty tons, 
carrying a 9-pounder and sixty men. She lay off the bay of 
Escondida, and was commanded by one of the most blood-thirsty 
pirates on the coast, who was known by the sobriquet of Dio 
hlito, ' little devil,' probably on account of his many atrocities. 
The boats bore down on the pirates in fine style, directly before 
the wind, with orders to board. The schooner lay in about six 
feet of water. As soon as Diablito thought the barges were 
near enough, he told his men he would annihilate them, and 
fired his 9-pounder, which was loaded up to the muzzle with 
grape. Yery little damage was done, however, excejDt cutting 
away some of the oars. The pirates soon discovered their ina- 
bility to stop the progress of our men ; the cry among them was 
Sauve qui peut ! and they jumped into the sea indiscriminately 
and made for the shore. 

"The schooner was boarded and captured by one of the 
barges, without a struggle, while the other rowed in shore among 
the fugitives and cut them to pieces right and left, until all 
opposition ceased. Diablito was in the act of escaping when 
the Spanish pilot recognized him and asked ]3ermission to shoot 
him. The pirate chief fell pierced through the head. It was 
supposed that about forty were killed. 

"A few days after this occurrence, Stribling, with two 
barges, fell in with Domingo, another noted pirate. He was of 
a different stripe from Diablito ; there was something chivaMc 
about the feUow, for on one occasion he sent us all our letters, 
which he had intercepted, with a message to the effect that ' we 
were a gallant set of fellows, and he had no wish to keep us out 
of oui* letters ; but that he would retain the miniature of Lieu- 
tenant G.'s wife, in case he should meet the original. He 
thought if she looked like the picture he would make love to 
her.' 

" Commander Stribling chased Domingo two hours, and told 
me that the pirates pulled their schooner with their long sweeps 



CKUISE m THE WEST INDIES AGAINST PIRATES. 95 

about as fast as he could get on with his oars, keeping up a con- 
stant fire until they neared the shore, and then jumped over the 
bows as our sailors boarded at the stern, Domingo was wounded 
in the arm, one man was killed, and one was taken prisoner ; 
the rest escaped. The schooner proved to be a well-known 
pilot-boat from Norfolk, called the Pilot. They had mounted 
a long pivot-gun on her. 

"The Greyhound went down again to the south side of 
Cuba, as we had heard of the successes of the English in that 
quarter, and also of their defeat near Porto Rico, Cruising all 
through the Jardines and around the Isle of Pines, we kept a 
watchful eye on the coast, but nothing occurred until one day 
when we were anchored off Cape Cruz, in company with the 
Beagle, J. T. E"ewton commanding, Kearny and Kewton went 
on shore in one of the boats to see if there was any game in the 
neighborhood. The boat's crew were armed as usual, and had 
been on shore but a short time when a man suddenly crossed 
their path. From his suspicious appearance, one of the sailors, 
named McCabe, leveled his gun at the stranger, and was about 
to pull the trigger when his arm was arrested by Kearny, who 
asked what he was aiming at. 

" ' A d d pirate, sir,' was the response. 

" ' How do you know ? ' 

" ' By his rig,' said the man promptly. 

" By this time the fellow had disappeared ; but our party 
had scarcely taken their seats in the boat, in readiness to shove 
off, when they received a full volley of musketry from the 
dense woods or chaparral. The fire was retiu'ued as soon as 
possible, but with no effect, as far as could be ascertained, the 
pirates being well concealed behind the bushes. On board the 
Greyhound we could hear the firing, but could render no assist- 
ance, as Captain Kearny had the only available boat belonging 
to the vessel. The Captain reached us at dark, related his 
adventure, and ordered me to be in readiness to land with a 
party at three o'clock the next morning. 

" The schooner was to warp up inside the rocks, to cover the 
attacking party. I landed, accompanied by Mr. Harrison, of the 



96 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

Beagle, the marines of both vessels, aniountmg to twelve men, 
and the stewards and boys, making in all a force of seventeen. 
We had orders to keep back from the beach, that we might not 
be mistaken for pirates and receive the fire of the vessels. We 
were all ignorant of the topography of the coast, and when we 
landed found ourselves on a naiTow strip of land covered with 
a thick and almost impassable chaparral, separated from the 
main land by a lagoon. With great difficulty we made our way 
through marsh and bramble, clearing a passage with cutlasses, 
till we reached the mouth of the lagoon. We were compelled 
to show ourselves on the beach at this point, and narrowly 
escaped being fired upon from the Greyhound, but, luckily, 
covered with mud as I was, the Captain with his glass made out 
my epaulette, and immediately sent boats to transport us across 
to the eastern shore. 

" We found the country there very rocky, and the rock was 
honeycombed and had the appearance of iron, with sharp edges. 
The men from the Beagle joined us, which increased my force 
to about forty men. The Captain, in the mean time, wishing to 
be certain as to the character of the men who had fired on him the 
previous evening, pulled boldly up again in his boat, with a flag 
flying. Scarcely was he within musket-range when, from under 
the bluffs of the Cape, he received a volley of musketry and a 
discharge from a 4-pounder swivel. There was no longer any 
doubt in the matter, and, considering that the enemy had too 
large a force to imperil his whole command on shore, the Cap- 
tain decided to reembark all but my original detachment, and 
I was ordered to attack the pirates in rear while the schooners 
attacked them in front. The pirates had no idea that our ves- 
sels could get near enough to reach them, but in this they 
were mistaken; for, by pulling along among the rocks, our 
people were soon able to bring their guns to bear on the bluffs, 
which caused a scattering among them. 

" My party all this time was struggling through the thicket 
'that covered the rocks, the long, sharp thorns of the cactus giv- 
ing us a great deal of trouble. Then there was a scrubby thorn 
bush, so thick as almost to shut out the air, rendering it next to 



OEUISE IN THE WEST INDIES AGAINST PIRATES. 97 

impossible to get along any faster than we could hew onr way 
with the cutlasses. The heat had become so intense that Lieu- 
tenant Somerville, who had accompanied us, fainted. Our 
progress was so slow that by the time the beach was reached the 
pirates were out of sight. Now and then a fellow would be seen 
in full run, and apparently fall down and disappear from view. 
"We caught one old man in this difficult chase. Our surprise 
was very great, on returning to make an examination of the 
place lately vacated by the pirates, to find that they had several 
houses, from fifty to one hundred feet long, concealed from 
view, and a dozen boats and all the necessary apparatus for 
turtling and fishing as well as for pirating. An immense 
cave was discovered, filled with plunder of various kinds, in- 
cluding many articles marked with English labels, with sad- 
dles, and costumes worn by the higher classes of Spanish 
peasantry. In the vicinity were found several of these caves, 
in which a thousand men might have concealed themselves 
and held a strong position against a largely superior force. 
We contented ourselves with burning their houses and carry- 
ing off the plunder, cannon, etc., and returned to the vessel. 
The old man, who had every appearance of being a leper, was 
allowed to go. 

" My only prize on this occasion was a large, black monkey, 
which I took in single combat. He bit me through the arm, 
but had to surrender at discretion. 

" In our first march through the swamp our shoes became 
much softened, and in the last many were completely cut from 
the feet of the men. Fortunately for myself, I had put on a 
pair of pegged negro brogans, and got along pretty well, while 
some of my comrades suffered severely. One of the officers lost 
his shoe in the swamp ; and one of the men, in endeavoring to 
recover it, was mired in a most ludicrous manner — one arm and 
one leg in the mud, and one arm and one leg in the air. No- 
thing could exceed the ridiculous appearance we made when we 
got to the shore. My pantaloons were glued to my legs, my 
jacket was torn to shreds, and I was loaded with mud. The 
men under Somerville saluted me as their commander ; but the 



98 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

sight was too mucli for all hands, and there was a general burst 
of laughter. 

" Another ridiculous incident of the expedition may as well 
be mentioned. When we had advanced about half a mile into 
the thicket I ordered a halt, to await the preconcerted signal- 
gun from the schooner to push forward as rapidly as possible. 
At this moment I heard a great noise in our rear, and it oc- 
cmTcd to me that the pirates might be behind us in force. 
In forming my men to receive the attack from that direction, 
I made a most animated speech, encouraging them to fight 
bravely, but had scarcely concluded my harangue when, to my 
great relief, it was discovered that the noise proceeded from 
about ten thousand land-crabs making their way through the 
briars ! " 

After this adventure they visited different ports in the island, 
continuing the craise until the provisions ran short, when they 
returned to Key West. At this time other changes took place 
in the squadron : Lieutenant Eousseau, Farragut's brother Wil- 
liam, whom he had not seen for thirteen years, and several mid- 
shipmen from Kew Orleans joined. Farragut was made execu- 
tive officer of the steamer Seagull, bearing the broad pennant 
of Commodore Porter. This vessel engaged in a short cruise, 
examining the reefs and shoals of the Gulf. On the day of her 
return to Key West the yellow fever broke out. The journal 
says: 

" Midshipman Marshall, of Kentucky, was the first victim, 
and many other fine fellows followed him. The disease was of 
a very malignant type, and medical skill (of which we had the 
best in the service) seemed to avail but little. On the Seagull 
we lost but two cases, although few escaped the disease. I was 
so fortunate for the time being. We found it went hardest with 
those who had been sent in the barges, which was supposed to 
be the result of sleeping in the open air ; but this theory did 
not apply to all cases, for on board the Greyhound we all slept 
on deck. For myself, I never owned a bed during my two 



CRUISE IN THE WEST INDIES AGAINST PIRATES. 99 

years and a half in the West Indies, but lay down to rest wher- 
ever I found the most comfoi'table berth." 

Twenty-three out of the twenty-five ofiicers who were at- 
tacked by the fever died, and the men suffered in the same pro- 
portion. The Commodore was left so much enfeebled by the 
disease that he determined to return home. The Seagull arrived 
at l^orfolk after a tempestuous voyage of forty-three days, and 
all hands were glad to be once more in the region, for they were 
well-nigh starved at Key West. An anecdote is told of one of 
the surgeons who was met one morning walking on the beach, 
reading the " Pleasures of Hope," with the skull of a turtle in 
his hand. "Ah!" said he, "what a noble mess this fellow 
would have made ! " 

Farragut sailed again for the West Indies, and mentions a 
delightful visit to the Windward Islands. He passed some time 
at St. Kitts and St. Bartholomew, and ran down to the south 
side of Porto Rico and Santo Domingo. He also visited the 
port of Santiago de Cuba. The Seagull met a Colombian man- 
of-war with an American prize that was sailing under a sea-letter 
which the Colombian said was false, declaring that she was in 
reality Spanish property. Captain Yoorhees, after considering 
the matter, determined to take her, and did so, sending her to 
Norfolk in charge of Lieutenant Brown. The vessel turned out 
to be a hona fide American, and Farragut remarks that " this 
case shows the necessity of officials signing their names distinct- 
ly. The naval officer's name was on the papers, but no one in 
our ship could make it out, or discover, in fact, whether it was 
a signature at all." 

When off the Tortugas, Farragut obtained leave of absence 
for one month, to visit his friends in New Orleans, whom he 
had not seen in many years. During his absence, his father 
had died on his plantation. The vessel in which he took 
passage carried the first load of bricks for building Fort Jack- 
son, one of the defenses of New Orleans which he ran by 
in his first famous achievement in the civil war, nearly forty 
years later. 



100 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

" I went to see my sister, and got into conversation with her 
about myself. I told her I had seen her brother recently. 
After about an hour, she invited me to the house, where the 
lady with whom she lived pronounced me her brother, and I 
pleaded guilty. 

" I set out in a miserable little brig for Key West again, and 
arrived there just in time to hit a vacancy occasioned by the 
return of Lieutenant Duncan of the Ferret, then in Matanzas. 
But I had great difficulty in obtaining the command ; for al- 
though Commodore Porter had established the rule in his 
squadron that all promotions should go by seniority in date of 
warrant, and not by number in passing, and we had tacitly 
agreed to it by joining the squadron, knowing this to be the 
rule — ^yet when it came to me, he was so much afraid he might 
be accused of partiality that he was unwilling to give me the 
Ferret, which was then in charge of Midshipman Payne. But 
when he found that she was considered rightfully mine by Cap- 
tain Bolton, captain of the fleet, he reluctantly gave way. 

" I consider this another important event in my life. I had 
succeeded in getting a command. I went to sea in a few hours 
after joining my vessel, and recommenced operations against the 
pirates ; but they had been well thinned out by this time, and 
kept so close in their hiding-places that they rarely ventured 
out, except in the night, and my duties were principally those 
of a convoy through the Gulf as high as the " Double-headed- 
shot Keys." The navigation was difficult, and it required great 
vigilance to prevent the loss of my vessel ; but it was an ad- 
mirable school for a young officer, and I realized its benefits all 
my life. I have never felt afraid to run a ship since, generally 
finding it a pleasant excitement. 

" I had many cases of yellow fever on board, and was com- 
pelled to treat them myself, which, thank God ! I did success- 
fully. It was not of the most malignant type. One of the 
midshipmen, Mr. Miner, would not allow me to prescribe for 
him, because, he said, I was not a regular physician. I could 
not get him on shore for several hours, and the young doctor, 
just out from the United States, had never seen a case of yellow 



HIS FIRST COMMAND— YELLOW FEVER. 101 

fever ; consequently he died. His death was the only one on 
board the Ferret while I commanded her. 

" On the 1st of August, 1823, I returned to Key West, and 
was ordered to Nassau, JST. P. In this passage I was currented 
both ways in the Gulf Stream, and had awful thunder-storms 
and a constant gale. 

" While we were in Nassau the acting gunner (rated gunner's 
mate) hailed an English surveying shij) and told them he was an 
Englishman and a deserter from his Majesty's ship Pandora. 
This was in consequence of my refusing him permission to 
come on shore ; the Commodore's orders not allowing any of the 
men to go ashore during the yellow-fever season. When I 
learned of the circumstance, I got the schooner under way, 
ran outside, called all hands, punished the gunner's mate, and 
reentered the port. I waited two days to see if the English 
would demand him, determined not to give him up. They did 
not, however, and I heard meantime that an American had been 
promptly given up by an English man-of-war in Havana. So I 
thought I would ofEer him to the English Commodore. He 
behaved remarkably well, said he understood the character of 
such fellows, and was unwilling to receive him. But I insisted, 
and at last he consented. The man's punishment was increased 
by his being mulcted of his pay, for not fulfilKng his contract 
with the Government. 

" At Nassau we received great kindness from the people and 
authorities. 

" We sailed for home, and had a fine run of five days. I 
was taken down with the fever in sight of Washington, and as 
soon as we got up to the city I went to the hospital, where I 
was very ill. But I so far recovered as to be able to visit my 
friends in Norfolk about the middle of September. 

" Meanwhile my command was taken from me and given to 
Lieutenant C. H. Bell, who refused to receive from me any 
account of the qualities of the schooner, saying he would find 
them out as I had. Unfortunately, before he did so he capsized 
off the north side of Cuba, and lost many of his crew. 

" One might suppose that these events of my life passed 



102 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

lightly by ; on the contrary, I had always to contend with the 
burden first imposed on me by Commodore Porter's saying that 
I was ' too young for promotion.' Although that remark was 
made just after the action of the Essex, I never appeared to get 
any older in the eyes of the Government or my commander, and 
consequently had to contend inch by inch, as opportunities pre- 
sented, with men of riper age and apparently more entitled to 
the places sought. Still, my good star prevailed in this in- 
stance, and it is to the enjoyment of these trials (!) that I have 
always felt myself indebted for whatever professional reputa- 
tion I have attained." 

He might have added, if modesty had permitted, that it was 
likewise by his indefatigable industry in improving the advan- 
tages offered, that he acquired the skill and experience which 
served him in the great opportunities of his after-life, and en- 
abled him to use them for the benefit of his country. 



CHAPTER XII. 

HIS MAKKIAGE VOYAGE TO FEANCE WITH LAFAYETTE — A WINTEE 

EST THE MEDITEKEANEAN A VISIT TO NEW HAVEN ESTAB- 
LISHES A SCHOOL EEVOLUTIONS IN BUENOS AYEES — THE BEA- 

ZILIAN COUET — CHASED BY A PIEATE — AT CHARLESTON DUEING 

THE NULLIFICATION TROUBLES FAEEAGUT AS AN EXECUTIVE 

OFFICER — MAKING COMBS — A STEANGE DISEASE HE TAKES 

COMMAND OF THE BOXEE LETTEE FEOM COMMODOEE POETEE. 

On the 24:tli of September, 1823, David Glasgow Farragut 
married Susan C, third daughter of Jordan and Fanny Mar- 
chant, of Norfolk, Virginia. He went to Wasliington with his 
bride, and spent a few weeks at Commodore Porter's. His 
health at this time was very delicate, he had not fully recovered 
from the effects of the fever, and he suffered from the affection 
of the eyes caused by the partial sunstroke received in Tunis. 

In August, 1825, he was promoted to a lieutenancy, and 
ordered to the frigate Brandywine, Captain Morris, which had 
been designated to convey the Marquis de Lafayette to France. 
Farragut's journal continues : 

" We sailed from the Potomac on the 13th of September. 
Lafayette was received with all military honors — manning yards, 
salutes, etc. Several steamers accompanied him to the ship. 
We ran out past the Capes, going eleven knots an hour. 

" That night the ship sprang a leak, and took in so much 
water that we threw overboard two or three thousand shot, but 
still the leak continued. 

" We had a rough but short passage, arriving in Havre on 
the twenty-fifth day. I was sent in to ascertain whether the 
General could land. They kept me in the boat ; but next morn- 
ing the ship was admitted to pratique, and a steamer went out 



lOi THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

to bring the General ashore. We took leave of him in the usual 
military style. His family, a Mr. Somerfield, and a young 
Frenchman were also passengers, and departed with him, as did 
also Captain Morris. 

" We then made sail for Cowes, and ran into that port in a 
gale of wind, under close-reefed maintop-sail and fore-sail. Here 
we calked ship. I visited Portsmouth and Ryde. They would 
not let me visit the dockyard without permission from London. 
After calking the ship, we sailed for the Mediterranean, Lieu- 
tenant Gregory in command. 

" An amusing incident happened here. The pilot said his 
boat would go out through the Needles and cut us off. But I 
proposed to take her in tow, telling him that if we lost sight of 
her we should never see her again, unless the Captain hove to 
off the Needles for her. He laughed at the idea ; but so it was. 
We ran out with a fine breeze round Spithead, and never saw 
the pilot-boat again. When some days out, we fell in with a 
vessel that was water-logged and abandoned. At the pilot's re- 
quest, we put him on board of her ; but he also was obliged to 
abandon her, and arrived in Gibraltar about a week after we 
did. 

" We joined the squadron at Gibraltar, and ran up to Mahon 
with them. Captain Patterson, who was then Captain of the 
fleet, took command of us ; but shortly afterward Captain Peed 
arrived from France and took our ship, while Captain Patterson 
took the Constitution. 

" We were laid up all winter, refitting, and in the spring 
returned to the United States and went into New York, where 
we arrived in May, 1826. Our passage home was made in a 
succession of gales from the southwest, shifting suddenly to 
northwest, and always taking us aback ; but we managed to get 
her round without harm. 

" During this short cruise the Brandywine was perhaps one 
of the fastest vessels in the world. I have seen her, when sail- 
ing with the Mediterranean squadron, spare them twelve, four- 
teen, and even sixteen sails. 

" In New York I left her and went to Connecticut with my 



VISIT TO NEW HAVEN— ESTABLISHES A SCHOOL. 105 

unfortunate wife, who had become a great suSerer from neural- 
gia. I remained with her four months, while she was under the 
treatment of Dr. Ives. 

" During my stay in New Haven I amused myself by at- 
tending the lectures of the professors at Yale College. My eyes 
were becoming quite weak, and this was a great treat to me. I 
was especially interested in the lectures of Professor Silliman. 

" In October, 1826, 1 returned to Norfolk, where I remained, 
attending my suffering wife, till October, 1828. I had been 
ordered to the receiving-ship Alert, Captain Kennedy, and was 
allowed to reside on board with my wife. 

" Here I established a school for the boys, who, with very 
few exceptions, did not know their letters. V^hen Hon. S. L. 
Southard, Secretary of the Navy, inspected the Navy-yard, Com- 
modore Barron took him on board the ship where my school 
was kept, to see the boys. They were thirty-seven in number, 
and had made such progress as to elicit one of the few, the very 
few, compliments I ever received from the Navy Department 
or its head. 

" This school furnished one remarkable instance of what may 
be accomphshed by perseverance. One boy objected to going 
to school, saying that he was away from home to get clear of 
going to school, that he never could learn his letters, and that 
he did not see the use of learning. To all which I replied that 
it was my duty and my pleasure to see that he went to school, 
and that if he did not stay there the prescribed time, and do his 
best to learn, I would not cease to punish him, and he might 
rest assured it would cost him much less to learn than to let it 
alone. He was obdurate, and I was compelled to punish him 
in some way or other. I first talked to him, holding out all the 
inducements that my ingenuity could suggest ; but, to use his 
own language, he said ' he'd be damned if he would learn.' I 
whipped him almost daily, for some time, and then resorted to 
other modes of punishment. Finally, I believe I accomplished 
much more by ridicule. Suffice it to say, I conquered him, and 
he took to his book kindly and learned very rapidly. In about 
twelve months I sent him to sea with a recommendation for a 



106 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKEAGUT. 

yeomanry situation. At the time of leaA'inoj nio he wrote a. good 
haiul, and was uneonnnonly smart at arithmetic. 

" About seven years afterward a well-dressed, good-looking 
youno- man came up to me in the streets of Norfolk, called me 
by name, and extended his hand. I gave him mine, and by the 
warmth with Avhich he grasped it I took it for granted lie must 
suppose me an old acquaintance. I told him I thought he was 
laboring under some mistidvc, perhaps taking me for my brother. 

" ' Oh no ! ' said he, ' I make no mistake ; if I did not know 
you, to M'hom I am more indebted than to any one in the Avorld, 
it would really be strange.' 

" I said I had no recollection of him, and asked his name. 

" ' I have grown probably a foot since we parted,' said he, 
' but do you not recollect the boy who gave you so much trouble 
on board the Alert ? ' 

" ' Oh yes ! ' said I, ' very well ; but I should never have 
recognized him in you.' 

*' ' Nevertheless,' said he, ' I am the same, and am ready to 
acknowledge you as the greatest benefactor and friend I ever 
had, in this world of trouble.' 

" I told him I was glad if he had profited by the little edu- 
cation he had received on board the Alert, and that I acquitted 
him of all obligation to me, as it was highly probable that he 
was indebted more to his own perverse disposition than to any- 
thing else. I had no doubt it was that which excited my deter- 
mination not to be outwitted by a boy of fifteen. I took him 
home with me. 

" ' Now,' said I, ' I would like to hear your story since you 
left the Navy, and to what good fortune you owe your present 
condition.' 

" ' It is told in a few words,' said he. ' "When I left the 
Navy I went out in an East Indiaman, \vith a desire to learn 
seamanship. At Batavia the Captain died, and the chief mate 
was taken sick. I was a pretty good arithmetician, and the 
mate had taught me navigation enough to work a day's work. 
On our homeward passage the mate died also, but before his 
death he requested the men to obey me as their commander. I 



REVOLUTIONS IN BUENOS AYRES. 107 

took the fillip safely into New York, and the o\merH mado mo 
a handsome present and sent mc out as mate of one of their 
ships until they had a vacancy among their small vessels. 
Soon after, the vessel which I now command was in want of 
a captain, and I was appointed to her and am now in the 
Charleston trade.' 

" In October, 1828, I received orders to the sloop of war 
Vandalia. which had just been launched and was lying at Phila- 
delphia, fitting for sea under command of Captain Gallagher. 
I was associated on board with my old friends Joshua Sands 
and William II. Gardner, the latter my brother-in-law. 

"We sailed from Philadelphia on the 28th of December, 
1828, for the Brazil station, and had a fine run to liio, the ship 
proving herself a good sailer and a prime sea-boat. 

" Here we found that Commod(jre Creighton and the sloop 
of war Boston were at the Rio de la Plata, and we soon joined 
them. The Commodore ordered Gardner to his own ship, the 
Hudson, and we all sailed for Rio again. 

" The trial of speed was very interesting, as the Boston had 
a high reputation, having beaten all the men-of-war on that 
station. We were a perfect match during the time we were in 
company (several days). We were under the same sail, except 
that we had a reef in our topsails, to make them set better, and 
kept side by side, the slightest negligence of one giving the 
other the advantage. 

"At length 11 determined that he would not go to 

Rio with us, and deliberately hauled his wind and made off, in 
defiance'of all signals. As his ship outsailed the Commodore, 
the latter was unable to catch him. It was the greatest outrage 
on Navy discipline that I have ever witnessed. To the honor 
of the Navy, he was cashiered next year for the offense ; but he 
was pardoned, and allowed to die in the service. 

" The Guerriere and St. Louis arrived at Rio, on their way 
to the Pacific station, and Lieutenant Downing was permitted 
to go on board tho Guerriere. As soon as our provisions, etc., 
were in, we were ordered to the Rio de la Plata, in consequence 
of the revolution in that quarter." 



108 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

Perhaps for some readers tlie succeeding passages of Farra- 
gut's journal will be more intelKgible for a brief explanation of 
the state of things in Buenos Ayres at this time. In 1824 the 
Argentine Republic was formed, under the administration of 
Las Heras. Brazil forced the United Provinces into a declara- 
tion of war, and blockaded the city of Buenos Ayres in January, 
1826. The different provinces varied in extent, as well as in 
the character and interests of their population, and these circum- 
stances rendered the union essentially weak. There was almost 
a feudal aristocracy in the north. In the wide ranges of the 
pampas, the herdsmen held the power ; but there was a great 
degree of moderation in the agricultural states. Buenos Ayres, 
the only seaboard state, and by far the richest, took the lead. 
The higher classes possessed immense landed estates, and many 
of them had been educated in Europe. They hoped to extend 
EurojDean civilization over the whole country by means of a 
form of government under which the power was to be wielded 
by the rich and educated. Their I3arty, the " Unitarians," 
formed the constitution of 1825, under which the authority of 
the nation was represented by a small aristocracy. The greater 
part of the large province of Buenos Ayres took its political 
complexion from the republican tone of the cattle-drivers and 
herdsmen. Their leader was Juan Manuel de Rosas, who was 
descended from an old Spanish family, and was daring, ambi- 
tious, and cunning. He found numerous supporters among the 
masses of the people, especially after he had extended the limits 
of the province of Buenos Ayres by subduing the savages of 
the pampas, who were implacable enemies of the guachos or 
herdsmen. No sooner had he espoused the cause of the Fed- 
eralists than his popularity spread to the other provinces. He 
had opposed the Unitarians unsuccessfully at first, but by 1827 
he had acquired sufficient influence to make headway against 
them, and was aided by Bustos, Governor of Cordova ; Ybarra, 
Commandant of Santiago ; Quiroja of Rioja, and Lopez of Santa 
Fe. They protested against the Constitution of 1825, and took 
up arms. Rivadavia, the successor of Las Heras, finding him- 
self powerless, resigned, and Rosas and his colleagues chose 



REVOLUTIOI^S m BUENOS AYRES. 109 

Dorrego, Governor of Buenos AjTes, to succeed him. In 1828 
Dorrego made a treaty of peace with Brazil, from which year 
dates the recognition of the Banda Oriental of Uruguay. A 
confederation was formed (January, 1831) between the prov- 
inces of Buenos Ayres, Entre Rios, and Corrientes, which was 
soon joined by the other provinces. But some of the officers 
who had commanded in the late war, distrusting the triumph of 
federal principles under Dorrego, with the other Governors and 
the established army of the Republic, set on foot a counter revo- 
lution, headed by one Lavalle. They defeated Dorrego and 
Rosas, and shot the former without a trial. Rosas, Quiroja, and 
Lopez formed a new league, and overthrew Lavalle, who resigned. 
Rosas was chosen in his place, and afterward became Dictator. 
At the time of Farragut's arrival the Lavalle revolution had 
just taken place, and Dorrego had been shot. The journal con- 
tinues : 

" We stopped a short time at Montevideo, a small, walled 
town of about 10,000 inhabitants [now, 18T9, over 100,000], 
which has a fine back country, but has never been able to in- 
crease much, on account of the revolutions. "We then ran up 
to Buenos Ayres, and anchored off the town, distant about five 
miles, which is as near as any vessel drawing twelve feet of 
water can apj)roach. 

" Buenos Ayres was at this time held by General Lavalle, 
who had initiated a revolution and put himself at its head. Gen- 
eral Rosas, with five hundred guachos, was besieging the city. 

" Rosas himself excelled all the other guachos in feats of 
horsemanship, throwing the lasso, etc. A few years since, to 
show his prowess on a great occasion, he rode at full speed down 
the street, where he had stationed a herdsman with a lasso at 
the corner of the public square. As Rosas entered the square, 
the herdsman threw the lasso and caught the horse by the fore 
leg. The animal fell headlong, and broke his neck, while Rosas, 
to the admiration of the multitude of spectators, alighted on his 
feet and walked off as if nothing had happened, raising his cap 
in return for the cheers of the people. 



tt' 



110 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" Lavalle was now very active in liis preparations for tlie 
defense of the city. The streets were ditched in every direc- 
tion, to prevent the assault of cavahy, and guns were placed in 
position to rake every street leading out toward the country. 
Lavalle was a good soldier and a gallant one. He frequently 
made sorties in which he cut his way through the guachos of 
Eosas, who were compelled to yield to his superior prowess and 
discipline. But the odds were against him, the whole country 
being in arms, and he could obtain nothing in the way of sup- 
plies except by sea, so that at length he was compelled to come 
to terms. 

" Many barbarities were committed on both sides. It is told 
of Lavalle that one day lie rode out under a flag of truce to the 
camp of Kosas, and asked politely to see the General. Although 
informed that he was absent, he accepted an invitation from the 
officer in charge to enter the tent. Eemarking that he had not 
had much rest for some time past, Lavalle said if there was no 
objection he would remain until the General's return. He then 
stretched himself on the ground, and was soon wrapped in pro- 
found sleep. "When Rosas returned, the officer said : 

" ' Lavalle is in your tent ! ' 

" ' And to what good fortune am I indebted for this news ? ' 

" ' He came under a flag of truce, and asked permission to 
repose until your return.' 

" ' Yery well,' said Rosas, ' do not allow him to be disturbed. 
Any one who can sleep in the tent of his most deadly enemy 
must be a brave man ; and, let his fate be what it may, he shall 
have a peaceful sleep to prepare for it.' 

" When Lavalle awoke he and Rosas had a conference, which 
resulted in a peaceable termination of their troubles, much to 
the joy of the people. 

" The next day I was present when Rosas entered the city. 
A high mass was celebrated at the cathedral, and the Te Deum 
sung. A Governor was elected from the neutrals ; but he was 
merely a figure-head for Rosas, who from that time became 
Dictator of the Republic. 

" We lay off the city for five months ; but I seldom went 



THE BRAZILIAN COURT. m 

ashore, as there was nothing going on which interested lis. As- 
sassinations were of nightly occuiTence — the invariable result of 
the disbandment of armies in that country. The currency was 
very much depreciated, and commerce suffered greatly for want 
of security. 

" After peace was established the Yandalia returned to Rio 
de Janeiro. Here the Commodore arrived, and we all went to 
pay our respects to the Emperor, Dom Pedro I. The rooms 
were richly decorated, and the courtiers were the most richly 
dressed persons I ever saw. 

" We walked up, bowing as we entered the room, again mid- 
way, and also when directly in front of the Emperor. Then we 
backed out on the opposite side of the room, bowing at the same 
intervals. 

" In a short time (October 16, 1829) the Emperor's bride,* 
the daughter of the Duke of Leuchtenburg, arrived in a Bra- 
zihan frigate, whereupon each fort fired a salute of one hundred 
gims, and each vessel one of twenty-one. The harbor was en- 
veloped in a cloud of smoke nearly the whole day. It is said 
that in three days more than six thousand rounds were fired. 
As soon as the frigate was reported in the offing, the Emperor 
went out in a steamer to meet his bride, and towed in the ship. 
In the evening the Empress was seen from the balconies of the 
palace, playing with the Emperor's children.f She was a fine- 
looking woman, with all the animation of the French grisette. 
The marriage was solemnized with great magnificence the next 
day, all the principal streets being arched and decorated with 
flags and other emblems. 

" Some days afterward a grand audience was given at the 

* The second wife of Dom Pedro I. was the Donna Amelia Augusta Eugenia 
Napoleona, daughter of Prince Eugene, Duke of Leuchtenburg. In commemoration 
of her arrival the Imperial Order of the Rose was instituted. 

f The first Emperor's children at that time were : D. Maria da Gloria, already 
Queen of Portugal, who was afterward married to Dom Fernando, Duke of Saxe 
Coburg, and became the mother of the present and preceding kings of Portugal ; 
D. Januaria, now married to D. Luiz, Count of Aguila ; D. Francisca, now married 
to D. Francisco, Prince de Joinville ; and Dom Pedro de Alcantara, now Dom Pedro 
II., Emperor of Brazil. 



112 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKEAGUT. 

palace, which was attended by the Commodore and some of the 
officers of the squadron. I was among the number. The Em- 
press stood beside her husband, and received our salutations. 
We had to go through the same formalities before the Queen of 
Portugal, Donna Maria da Gloria, in an adjoining apartment. 
She was a little, Dutch-built girl, ten or twelve years of age, 
with light hair and fair complexion. I had seen her mother * 
embark at Marseilles, when I was at that port in the Washing- 
ton, in 1816. 

" In ITovember, 1829, the JS'atchez, with Commodore Cassin, 
arrived and saluted Commodore Creighton. In December my 
eyes had become so bad that I was compelled to be surveyed 
and sent home. I took passage in the brig Barnegat, of Boston, 
and had a very pleasant voyage of fifty days. Off Cape St. 
Roque we were chased by a piratical-looking craft ; but when 
she was within two miles of us a breeze sprang up, and we soon 
left her behind. We had made every preparation to defend 
ourselves. We had four 18-pounder carronades, which the 
second mate and I mounted on trucks, so that we could run 
them all around the deck. We had twenty-four pounds of 
powder and a quantity of musket-balls and spike nails. Our 
crew consisted of six athletic young men, besides the officers, 
all ready and willing to fight, and we all cut up our flannel shirts 
for cylinders. We outsailed the supposed pirate, but the cir- 
cumstance gave us something to talk about dming the rest of 
the voyage. 

" We arrived off the Capes of Virginia in February, 1830. 
I found my wife still suffering and bed-ridden. I was soon 
summoned to attend a court-martial in Philadelj)hia, but re- 
turned to Norfolk in March, and was ordered to the receiving- 
ship Congress. I had my family on board with me, and re- 
mained till August, 1831, when I was transferred to the frigate 
Java. 

" Nothing worthy of note occurred at this time, except the 

* Donna Maria Leopoldina Josepha Carolina, Archduchess of Austria, first wife 
of Dom Pedro I., and mother of the four children previously mentioned, died at 
Rio de Janeiro, December 11, 1826. 



NULLIFICATION" TROUBLES AT CHARLESTON. 113 

negro insurrection in Southampton County, Virginia. "We got 
ready to defend tlie Navy-yard ; but old Nat. Turner and all 
his party were killed, and the affair ended. 

" In the summer of 1832 my wife's health was so bad that I 
took her to Philadelphia, to consult some of the learned physi- 
cians. The cholera broke out, and we went to Frederick, Mary- 
land. 

" On the 4th of December, 1832, I received orders to join 
the Natchez as her First Lieutenant. She was then at the yard, 
fitting out, and was not delivered to us till the 28th. In the 
morning I received orders to go on board the receiving-ship and 
select the crew, which I did, and ' watched ' them. At 2 o'clock 
they were transferred, when we immediately began setting up 
the rigging fore and aft, and bent the sails by sunset. We took 
in spare spars, etc., and dropped down between tlie forts. 

" On the 2d of January, 1833, we took in the powder, re- 
ported the ship ready for sea, and dropped down to Hampton 
Roads, where Commodore Elliott and Captain Zantzinger came 
on board. 

[The " nullification " troubles — the attempt of South Caro- 
lina to disregard the United States revenue laws — were at their 
height, and the Natchez was ordered to Charleston.] 

" We got under way on the 5th. The Experiment was in 
company, and we took her in tow with two parts of a five-inch 
hawser. This parted, and we took her in tow again with a 
seven-inch hawser. 

" Commodore Elliott made us set up the rigging and un- 
shackle the cables. In doing the latter, John S. Davis was 
washed overboard. Both vessels hove to ; but, as the Experi- 
ment was much nearer the wind than our ship, she caused us to 
fall off and gather headway, which parted the hawser a second 
time. Meanwhile she lowered a boat and picked up the man. 

" The conduct of Midshipman Jarvis, who volunteered his 
services on this occasion, deserves particular commendation. A 
gale was coming on, and it was with great difficulty that they 
regained the ship ; so that the man's life was saved at the 
imminent risk of those in the boat. 



114 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

" On the 10th we lost the jib boom, and on the 11th parted 
company with the Experiment. During tlie night of tlie 11th 
it blew a tremendous gale. About 2 o'clock a sea struck the 
vessel with such force on the weather beam as to move the sheet 
anchor ten or eleven inches, at the same time rolling away the 
quarter boat, davits and all. About half-past 3 o'clock a me- 
teoric ball exploded ten or twelve feet above the booms, with 
such a report and appearance as caused us for a moment to 
believe that the ship was struck by lightning. 

" Daylight discovered the wind-mill on Cape Romain. We 
bore up for Charleston Bar, within ten miles of which we took 
on board Mr. Lee, the pilot. As soon as the tide was sufficiently 
high we made sail for the bar, in crossing which we struck 
three times, but went over. In beating up for Eebellion Eoads, 
however, owing to the anxiety of the Commodore to get up, 
the pilot continued to run the ship too late, and she grounded 
on the northern banks, where she lay all the night of the 18th 
and thumped very heavily. On the morning of the 19th we 
got her off, and beat up to our anchorage in Rebelhon Eoads, 
where we remained till the 12th of March. 

" We discovered that the best method of coasting southward 
in winter is, to be in shore in the morning, and off at night. 

" During our stay in Eebellion Eoads the crew were exer- 
cised every morning at small arms, and in the afternoon, when 
the weather permitted, at the great guns. 

" We boarded up the head, rigged a spritsail yard, abolished 
the mess-chest, and fitted up lockers on the berth-deck. We lay 
at single anchor, as a necessary precaution against fire-ships, in 
consequence of which we fouled our anchor and the ship 
dragged. On the 12th of March we ran up to Charleston, and 
anchored off the Battery. 

" We kept open house during our stay at Charleston for all 
parties. Our boats were generally employed in bringing com- 
pany on board, and we entertained our visitors with music and 
dancing. 

" On the 17th of February, 1833, a fire broke out in the 
city, and I was dispatched with the launch and first cutter, with 



FAERAGUT AS AN EXECUTIVE OFFICER. 115 

fifty men, to assist in extinguishing tlie flames. I think this act 
brought us into favor, for during the remainder of our stay the 
principal occupation of the officers seemed to be attending balls 
and parties given by the citizens. I remember a very handsome 
affair, with tableaux, at the residence of Mrs. Rutledge. 

" On the 26th of March the Commodore's broad pennant 
was struck, and on his departure a salute was fired and three 
cheers given him (by his order). We dropped down to Rebel- 
lion Roads, got under way, and stood out to sea. 

" On the 4th of April General Scott came on board to take 
passage with us. We found him to be an agreeable gentleman 
and pleasant companion. 

" On our arrival at JSTorfolk, Captain Zantzinger repaired to 
the seat of government, and the President was pleased to order 
Mr. Bogle, Acting Secretary of the ^avy, to address us a letter 
of approbation. 

" In April we received information that our ship was des- 
tined for the coast of Brazil, but the Department had granted 
permission for the officers to visit their friends a month, which 
they all availed themselves of except Mr. Pinkham and myself. 
We allowed the crew to go on shore by squads, and discharged 
two sailors who were too old and infirm for sea service. I only 
mention tliis because I consider it illiberal in our Government 
to discharge seamen when they become too infirm for further 
service. 

" On May 6th we dropped down to Hampton Roads, and 
two days later were under sail for Pernambuco." 

The duties of executive officer, which Farragut now exer- 
cised for the first time on so large a vessel, were performed with 
great zeal and skill. An officer who sailed with him says: 
" JS^ever was the crew of a man-of-war better disciplined, or 
more contented and happy. The moment all hands were called 
and Farragut took the trumpet, every man under him was alive 
and eager for duty. I remember well one occasion when he 
took the ISTatchez out of the harbor of Rio, which at the en- 
trance is quite narrow, against a head wind, by a manoeuvre 



116 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. 

termed, at tliat day, ' box hauling.' There were several foreign 
men-of-war in port, English and French, whose officers and 
crews were watching us closely. Many declared that the ma- 
noeuvre could not be successfully accomplished ; but it was done 
splendidly, without a balk or failure, and I shall remember to 
my dying day the glow of pride and satisfaction which we all 
felt." After giving the log of the voyage to Pernambuco, the 
journal continues : 

" I went on shore, and called on the different authorities, 
finding everything quiet except for the civil war in the interior, 
which appears to have been instigated more by the brutality of 
the military commanders than by any predilection of the par- 
ties for either of the emperors. 

" The man-of-war anchorage at Pernambuco is exceedingly 
uncomfortable and somewhat dangerous. During our stay there 
was constantly a heavy swell setting in from the south and east. 
But vessels drawing less than thirteen feet go within a natural 
mole that could not be excelled by art. 

" From here we went to Bahia, where we found our Com- 
modore in the Lexington, and the schooner Enterprise. 

" On June 24th we got under way and stood out to sea in 
company with the Lexington. The Commodore was disposed 
to try the sailing of the vessels, and directed us by telegraph to 
make sail, which we did. Accurate calculations showed that 
we outsailed the Lexington nine hundred yards an hour. 

" On the 3d of July we arrived at Bio, where we took iji 
stores. Most of these were received from the public store- 
houses hired by the United States on the island of Cobras. No 
government ever suffered more in a small way from the mal- 
administration of a department than ours in this respect. Slop 
clothing (for one item) is sent out in abundance and deposited 
here to remain for the use of the squadron. If the clothes were 
ever good, by the time they are required more than half have 
been destroyed by the rats and moths. The remainder, though 
not sufficiently bad to be condemned, are generally so much 
injured that it is a great imposition to compel the men to take 



MAKING COMBS. 117 

them. The officers, being sensible of this fact, allow the men 
to procure clothing of a better quality, and at a cheaper rate, 
from the shore. Hence the system, from beginning to end, is 
one of spoliation on the Government, and is an injury to every 
one except the contractor. 

" On the 13th we got under way, and on the 30th arrived 
at Buenos Ayres. 

" The jpamjperas or heavy squalls experienced here are from 
the southwest. They sweep over the pampas, or great plains, 
bordering the river — hence their name. They bear a strong 
resemblance to our northwest squalls. "When one of them struck 
the ship, she careened considerably, and brought home the star- 
board anchor sufficiently to bring a strain on the larboard. 

" "We took on board some hide rope, for topsail ties, sheets, 
trusses, and wheel-ropes. This material has been considered the 
very best for these purposes. "We also received some patent 
lights for various parts of the ship, to supply the deficiencies of 
her construction, in which, as usual, everything had been sacri- 
ficed to strength, without regard to air or light. 

" On October 16th the American brig Hyperion brought 
official notice of the death of Commodore Bainbridge [he died 
in Philadelphia, July 28, 1833], together with an order for the 
performance of his funeral honors, and also an order for us to 
repair immediately to Montevideo. In the afternoon we re- 
ceived news that a revolution had broken out in the province of 
Buenos Ayres. 

" On the ITth we half-masted the colors, issued an order to 
wear crape for thirty days, and at meridian fired thirteen minute- 
guns, as a mark of respect to the departed Commodore. 

" The Captain received a petition from the American and 
British merchants asking him to remain here. He referred it 
to the Commodore. 

" The 18th was the first fair day for many weeks. I went 
ashore in company with the Captain, and spent the day pleasantly. 
Among other things, I visited the comb manufactory, where I 
saw the whole process of making and mending horn and shell 
combs. The horns are first scraped, the tips and butts sawed off, 



118 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

and sawed down one side. They are tlien placed in a pot of 
boiling water, by the side of wbicli, on the same furnace, is one 
of oil. When sufficiently softened in the former, they are 
removed to the latter, which clarifies them. In fifteen or twenty 
minutes they are taken out and placed between two iron plates, 
against which is a screw of great power, turned by a lever ten 
or twelve feet long. By means of this the horn is pressed as 
thin as required. When taken from between the plates, it bears 
a strong resemblance to the horn used for lanterns, only thicker. 
As the combs are of enormous size, being some fifteen inches from 
side to side, they are compelled to unite several pieces, which 
is done by softening them a second time, lapping the edges, and 
placing them between a pair of hot tongs, somewhat like those 
used by blacksmiths, taking care to place several thicknesses of 
wet cotton cloth next to the shell or horn. The size being ob- 
tained, a former is laid on, and they are sawed into proper shape, 
after which they undergo another scraping, and are passed into 
the hands of the carver, and then to the polisher, which process 
is performed principally with rottenstone. They are then 
warmed a third time, placed on shaping-blocks, and confined 
thereto by broad leather straps until perfectly cold, when they 
are taken off and receive their last polish by rubbing with the 
hand. 

" The diseases prevalent here are tetanus (lockjaw), smallpox, 
and a disease which they call iraic. 

" Tetanus arises from various causes, most frequently from 
wounds, the slightest of which often produces death. A short 
time ago an English gentleman had a scuffle with a guacho, in 
which his thumb was dislocated, but he received no other injury. 
Tetanus ensued, and he died in forty-eight hours. 

" Iraic, I believe, is peculiar to South America. I confess, 
however, that the many marvelous stories I have heard on the 
subject have rendered me somewhat skeptical as to its real exist- 
ence. It is said to be a vein of air that passes through the 
house, affecting everything in its course. The head of one per- 
son will be drawn down to the shoulder; that of another 
will be twisted ; a third wiU have an arm drawn up ; a fourth a 



HE TAKES COMMAND OF THE BOXER. 119 

leg ; a fifth will have violent ear-ache ; a sixth a palsied tongue ; 
a seventh palsied limbs ; and so on. It cracks glass of every 
description. Even the furniture is sometimes rent by it ; and 
innumerable other marvelous phenomena are said to be produced. 
Some few of these cases I have seen ; but they did not appear 
to me extraordinary, as the same effects are frequently produced 
at home by taking cold." 

Farragut remained on the Katchez till the 12th of February, 
1834, during which time the ship visited Bahia, Montevideo, 
Buenos Ayres, and other ports. On the 6th of March he took 
command of the schooner Boxer, which had joined the squadron 
from the East Indies, her late officers being relieved to return 
home. The Boxer was in the harbor of Kio at the time, and 
required, after her long cruise, considerable overhauling and 
refitting. This was Farragut's second command, and he took 
great interest in his vessel. He dwells at some length, in his 
journal, on the alterations which he made in her rigging and 
ballasting. 

"On the 17th I received an invitation from Commodore 
Taylor to meet the little Emperor [Dom Pedro II., present 
Emperor], and accordingly repaired on board the Princess 
Royal, in company with Captain Geisinger. As his Majesty 
left the quay, cannon from the shore batteries announced his 
departure, and all the men-of-war in the harbor manned their 
yards and cheered him. On reaching the ship he was received 
by the principal personages, civil and ixdlitary, of the several 
nations represented in Bio at that time. A handsome collation 
was in readiness, and it occurred to me that both the Emperor 
and his sisters indulged in the pleasures of the table more freely 
than was necessary for children of their age. On their return 
to the shore the same ceremonies took place. It reminded me 
of what the frogs in the fable said to the boys who stoned them — 
' "What is fun to you is death to us.' The poor Brazilian sailors 
had been on the yards from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in a broiling 
tropical sun. 



120 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" The frigate Potomac arrived about this time, and I went 
on board and met my old friends Commodore Woolsej and Cap- 
tain Downes. 

" On this day the present Emperor [Pedro II.] ascended the 
throne. We all went to court, preceded by Mr. Browne, Charge 
d' Affaires, who dosed the Emperor with a speech upon his 
glorious accession. We were presented one by one to his little 
Majesty. The evening entertainment began with a vocal con- 
cert, and was followed by a grand ball, which was opened by 
the two little princesses, who danced the ' gavot ' in very pretty 
style. I have never seen children in any country dance with 
the same grace as those of Brazil. 

" The room prepared for the Emperor on this occasion was 
lined tkroughout with damask silk. The dresses of the gentle- 
men attached to the court were rich and gaudy beyond all con- 
ception. The court tailor must have been at his wit's end in 
getting up such a variety of designs. The coats of the subalterns 
had a small sprig on the collar, and then the ornamentation in- 
creased with every grade until it came to the Emperor, whose 
coat was so completely covered with embroidery that it would 
have been difficult to discover the color of the cloth. One old 
gentleman particularly attracted my attention. He seemed to 
have had his turn after the inventor of the costume* had ex- 
hausted his genius on the chamberlains. The tailor had there- 
fore given him a coat covered indiscriminately with broad gold 
lace. 

" The Commodore received orders to send the Boxer home, 
and I was ready to sail and received my final instructions on 
June 8th. I went on board the Katchez to take leave of the 
good old Commodore and Captain Zantzinger, but did not find 
them. I took leave of them by letter, and, after saying good-by 
to my old messmates, returned on board and got under way." 

The voyage home was without incident, except an exciting 
race with the Pigeon, the fastest English packet afloat. The 
journal says : " When we trimmed by bringing the crew aft, 
we just held way with her ; but as soon as they went forward 



LETTER FROM COMMODORE PORTER. 121 

she left us." The Boxer arrived at jSTorfolk on July 26th, when 
the crew were discharged and the ship laid up. 

The following letter, written about a year later by Commo- 
dore Porter, who at that time represented the United States at 
the Turkish capital, exhibits very clearly the relations between 
himself and Farragut, and shows in what esteem the aged hero 
of our first naval war held the young officer who was destined 
to command mightier squadrons and conduct vaster operations 
to a successful issue : 

" St, Stephano de Constantinople, June 20, 1835. 

" My Dear Glasgow : I have been incessantly occupied for 
near a fortnight in answering the letters which left America 
about a year since, and only reached me lately. Among them 
was yours of the 6th of August, '34:, and I do not recollect 
whether I have acknowledged the receipt of it yet. I am rather 
under the impression that I have ; but, if so, it must have been 
but a short letter, and I now seat myself again to wi'ite more 
fully, though really I have spun out so many yarns on every 
subject that I scarcely have anything more to say to any one ; 
my head, my hand, and even my pen are tired, it is almost worn 
out. 

" The continued illness of your wife is truly distressing. I 
know what sickness is, and I know how to sympathize with those 
who are afflicted. For a year past I have been borne down with 
it — at one time on the verge of the grave, and the whole time 
afflicted with loss of spirit ; and can now speak with difficulty 
and with pain. At one time it was thought to be a paralysis of 
the tongue, but this, fortunately, was not the case ; however, it 
was bad enough, and perhaps nothing but my removal to this 
village, where the air and water are pure and excellent, and 
living in the most persevering retirement and tranquillity, have 
saved me. I find myself now recovering gradually but slowly, 
yet very weak, and I return thanks to the Giver of all good, that 
when He deprived me of health, strength, and spirit. He allowed 
me to retain my mind, which I am not sensible has been weak- 
ened. Yet it may have been, and no one has been willing to 



122 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

SO inform me. You may remember liow mucli the Bishop in 
' Gil Bias ' was offended when he was told that his homilies 
smelt of the apoplexy from which he had not been long recov- 
ered. 

" However, I am getting old, have had many sorrows, mnch 
sickness and affliction, and have lasted much longer than men 
do under such circumstances generally ; but I bear all with suffi- 
cient fortitude, and, as I have nothing to merit from Fortune 
more than she has done for me, I have nothing to complain of 
on her account. I have never been elated with prosperity, and 
ought not to be, and hope I am not, depressed at the loss of 
worldly goods. My country has thus far taken care of me, and 
I hope by good conduct to merit what she has done, endeavoring 
to serve her to the utmost of my power. There was a time 
when there was nothing that I thought too daring to be attempt- 
ed for her ; but those times are past, and appear only as a con- 
fused and painful dream. A retrospect of the history of my 
life seems a highly-colored romance, which I should be very 
loath to live over again ; and it would not be believed, if it was 
written. My sufferings in Mexico, the trials of fortitude I un- 
derwent, exceed all belief ; but now I am enjoying Elysium, 
compared to what I then suffered in body and mind. 

" But let it pass. They have left an impression on my mind 
that can never be effaced. I have been taught to admire a bold 
struggle with adversity as one of the most noble moral specta- 
cles, and pride myself on acquitting myseK with honor. 

" I could not serve that base and unprincipled nation ; but 
they would not let me. But I left them without a stain on my 
character, which was not what others, under the same circum- 
stances, would have done. 

" But where am I running to ? It is time that I should stop. 
But before I finish my letter, my dear Glasgow, I must say that 
the next thing to be admired is a grateful heart ; and I am sure 
that I have found in yours that treasure which should be so 
much prized. I have always endeavored to do good, solely for 
the sake of good. I have never looked for any other return 
than what my feelings gave me, and to find such sentiments of 



LETTER FROM COMMODORE PORTER. 123 

gratitude from you, after all others had forgotten that they had 
received any benefits from me, is truly refreshing to the feelings. 
" Accept, my dear Glasgow, my best wishes for your health 
and happiness, and believe me to be your sincere friend, 

" David Porter. 
*• Lieutenant-Commandant D. Glasgow Fakeaqut, 
"U.S. Navy." 



CHAPTER XIII. 

AT HOME EST NOEFOLK HE TAKES COMMAND OF THE ERIE THE 

BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN DE ULLOA — OBSERVATIONS AND 
OPINIONS ON THE BATTLE DEATH OF MRS. FARRAGUT. 

"I REMAINED OH leave of absence, awaiting orders, until 
April 10, 1838. I was a member of every court-martial that 
met in Norfolk during this period, by which means I became 
well acquainted with that part of my duty. 

" During the summer I made a visit to Washington, George- 
town, and Alexandria ; but by September my wife was so ill 
that I was compelled to return home. Shortly after this her 
sister, Mrs. William D. Porter, died. I was necessarily confined 
very much to the house, for my wife was so helpless that I was 
obhged to lift her and carry her about like a child. 

" I found it absolutely necessary to adopt some mode of 
amusement, so I purchased carpenter's tools, and occupied my- 
self in repairing damages about the premises, until in the course 
of time I became quite a carpenter — at least, sufficiently skillful 
to answer my own purposes. 

" In this way I passed my time till the 8th of April, when 
I was ordered to take passage for Pensacola in the Levant, Cap- 
tain Paulding, then ready for sea and destined for the West 
Indies. 

" I had been an applicant for sea service during the last two 
years, but had not received orders, because my date interfered 
with that of the First Lieutenant of the Commodore's ship. At 
last a member of Congress who was a friend of the Navy made 
a speech attacking the Department for allowing Commodore 
Dallas to keep a set of young officers employed who were his 
favorites, whereupon changes were made, and I was ordered to 
the Constellation." 



HE TAKES COMMAND OF THE ERIE. 125 

The cruise in this vessel was a sliort one of two montlis, 
during whicli she visited Tampico, and after looking around the 
Gulf returned to Pensacola. 

On August 7, 1838, Farragut was appointed to the command 
of the sloop Erie. The cruise of this vessel, recorded by him 
with minute detail, is interesting from its connection with the 
events of the brief war between France and Mexico, arising out 
of the claims of France for compensation for injuries inflicted 
on French subjects in Mexico, and other unsettled questions. 
The city of Vera Cruz was blockaded by a French squadron, 
and the castle of San Juan de UUoa, deemed impregnable by its 
possessors, was taken after a six hours' cannonade. The gal- 
lantry of Santa Anna on the occasion, in defending the place 
against the forces landed by the French, is mentioned with high 
commendation. The loss of his leg by a cannon ball excited in 
his favor a strong popular f eehng of admiration and sympathy 
among his countrymen. 

The Erie was ordered to the scene of these operations to look 
after American interests, and Farragut watched the movements 
of the belligerents with close attention. On taking command 
of the vessel he found that his predecessor. Captain Ten Eyck, 
was under orders to proceed to sea immediately, and with his 
usual promptness and energy he went to work to put them into 
execution. The Erie sailed for Tampico, and on her arrival off 
the bar discovered a French brig-of-war, the Laurel, Marquis 
Duquesne commanding. The Erie anchored, and received a 
boat from the Laurel, the usual courtesies being exchanged be- 
tween the two commanders. Farragut visited the city, where 
he received polite attentions from the English Consul, Mr. 
Crawford, and found a quantity of specie for his vessel. On 
the 24th, hearing that the French forces had arrived off Yera 
Cruz, he proceeded to that port, for the protection of the Ameri- 
cans and other strangers. On the 25th they made Ponto Del- 
gardo, and enjoyed a fine view of the mountains Orizaba and 
Perote. At 6 a. m. they overhauled the French brig Yalagie, 
and soon after saw the castle and the city of Yera Cruz. The 
passage from Tampico had been made in thirty-seven hours. 



126 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

They ran in under the island of Sacrificios, where they found 
the French Commodore Bazoche, with the frigates Herman and 
Iphigenie, and two or three brigs-of-war. Captain Farragut 
called upon the French commander, and also paid his respects 
to the Governor of Yera Cruz, who received him very politely 
and offered to allow the Erie to run up and anchor under the 
castle. The journal continues : 

" I passed the day with our Consul, Mr. Hargous. A French 
barque arrived the next day, and the Captain informed me that 
he had left Bordeaux under the impression that the blockade 
was at an end, and now found himself with twenty-eight souls 
on board, and no water. The French could not spare any, and 
he begged it of me as an act of charity. I accordingly sent him 
four hundred gallons ; then went on board and told the French 
Commodore that I could not market for him, and handed him 
a communication on the subject of blockade. The next day I 
visited our Consul, and received a letter from Bazoche in reply 
to my own. I conversed with the English Consul about supply- 
ing the French, and found that he coincided with me in the 
opinion that it was wrong, and we determined not to do it. I 
gave him a copy of Bazoche's letter. 

" The French brig Dunois arrived on the Yth of September. 
I sent some fruit on board, and her Captain and First Lieutenant 
visited and congratulated me on my command. They were fine 
fellows; more like men than any I had seen in the French 
squadron. 

" I occupied myself in sounding around the reefs and islands 
of Sacrificios, and did not find the anchorage as good as I ex- 
pected between Pizarro and Sacrificios. On the 8th I spent the 
day in town, and on my return found the sea rolling very heav- 
ily. I got well ducked. A tide-wave had set in, so called be- 
cause it comes and ends with the flood-tide. 

" On the 9th we had a fine day. I inspected the ship, and 
sent a part of the crew to Sacrificios to take a run on shore." 

Captain Farragut attended a grand entertainment at Yera 



OBSERVATIONS AT TAMPIOO. 127 

Cruz, in honor of Mexican independence. On the 19th of Sep- 
tember he sailed for Pensacola ma Tampico, with specie. 
News of a revolution in Tampico, and a request that a ship of 
war might be sent, caused his return to that place. He arrived 
off the bar October Yth, and found there H. B. M. ship Satel- 
lite. He says : 

" I tried to cross the bar in my gig, but was warned back by 
the British officers, as the swell was very heavy. I visited the 
Satellite, and learned that Commodore Dallas had left for Kew 
Orleans with specie. The insurgents were in possession of the 
town under Montenegro, while the forts and surrounding coun- 
try were held by Ampudia. During the day we heard firing. 

" At 4 p. M. the British captain came off, and I again at- 
tempted to cross the bar ; but the sea began to rise before I 
reached it, and there was every indication of a norther. We 
returned, slipped our cable, and put to sea, the Satellite doing 
the same ; and for two days we rode out a stiff gale. On the 
13th of November I went on shore, accompanied by the purser 
and doctor, and learned that all communication with the town 
was cut off ; so we took horses and went to Pueblo Viejo, to see 
the Consul. "We had a conference with General Canales, and 
he agreed to allow communication between the American and 
English ships and their consuls down at the bar. 

" On my return to the Erie I found that Mr. Lewis, the First 
Lieutenant, had received on board General Mabia, who had 
come for the purpose of joining the Federal party at Tampico, 
but, finding the bar in possession of the government forces, was 
obliged to abandon the attempt, as he would have been shot if he 
had entered, and his vessel confiscated. As an act of humanity 
Mr. Lewis received him, and I should have done the same. 

" On the lYth we ran down to Yera Cruz, and learned that 
the 27th was the day appointed for the final conference and set- 
tlement of the questions at issue between the French and Mex- 
icans, and that war or peace would immediately follow. In the 
mean time preparations were made by us to embark the Amer- 
ican citizens and their valuables, in case of bombardment. 



128 THE LITE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

" On the 2Ytli of November we learned that the express had 
arrived with the final decision of the Mexican Government, 
declining the terms proposed by Admiral Baudin. The French 
fleet immediately began hostile preparations. Steamers took 
the sloops of war in tow, and anchored them to the north of the 
castle, and also placed the frigates to the east, close to the reef. 
The Prince de Joinville, in the Creole, got under way and 
took his position to the north, but did not anchor. Baudin, in 
the I^ereide, took his station on a north-and-south line, with the 
two remaining frigates in the center. The French civilians 
were all embarked and taken down to Sacrificios. At 9 a. m. I 
sent boats to bring off the Americans, and went myself to 
superintend the embarkation. 

" At precisely 2 : 30 p. m. the Admiral's ship fired the first 
gun, and immediately the firing became general. The Prince 
had the hottest berth, but stood his ground like a man, occa- 
sionally wearing ship to bring a fresh broadside to bear. At 
3 : 30 a magazine in the southeast water-battery blew up with a 
tremendous explosion, and from that time the fire of the castle 
slackened. 

" The Prince changed his position, and beat around in fine 
style to the south side of the castle, there continuing the action. 
Shortly after, another explosion took place, demolishing the 
tower on the citadel. I do not remember whether this was the 
result of an accident or was caused by a shell from the fleet. 

" At 5 p. M. the frigate La Gloire was taken in tow and 
hauled out of the fight ; but never had a little ship done her 
duty more thoroughly than she during that two hours and a half. 
Her constant firing was the admiration of all on board our ship. 
We could see her more distinctly than the others. All the 
frigates, however, kept up a tremendous fire. The castle fired 
more slowly from the commencement, and toward sunset did 
not discharge more than three guns a minute. The Prince de 
Joinville's ship must have suffered a good deal, as he was always 
in the most exposed positions. He had to retire at 5 p. m. 

" At sunset the firing ceased, with the exception of the bomb 
vessels, which kept it up until the fleet hoisted lights. The 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF SAN JUAN DE ULLOA. 129 

castle suffered greatly from the explosions, but I do not think 
the ships were near enough to damage it materially, 

" A.t 6 A. M. on the 28th a steamer took La Gloire in tow and 
carried her down to take the place of the Medea, returning and 
taking the Medea to. her post again. At 9 a. m. she towed the 
Prince's vessel up to the in-shore berth, eastward of the castle. 

" It was not long afterward that I received an extract from 
the log-book of the French ship La Fortuna, in which it was 
announced that the castle had capitulated. I heard from the 
English Consul that the Mexicans lost 200 men, while the French 
had 8 killed and 14 wounded. Gardner and I called on the 
French Admiral, who received our congratulations most cor- 
dially, and said how much he regretted the folly of these peo- 
ple, who, without cause, had made themselves responsible for the 
loss of so many lives ; as the points upon which they disagreed 
had been acknowledged for many years. 

" According to the terms of the capitulation, General E,in- 
cion was to retain command of the city, with only 1,000 men, 
the remainder of the forces to retire ten leagues from the sea- 
coast, and all hostile operations to cease for eight months. 

" The casualties in the French fleet, as I learned, were : 
The Admiral's ship had about 20 shots in her, but was not much 
injured. One midshipman was killed ; two lieutenants and 
three men were wounded. La Gloire had three shots in her 
hull, I do not remember her loss in killed and wounded. The 
Iphigenie was in the most exposed position ; the guns of the 
Cavalier also were on her, and the First Lieutenant assured me 
that he did not think ten shots missed their mark. She had 150 
in her hull and 8 in her mainmast. But what were they? 
Only from nine, twelve, and eighteen-pounders, which, owing 
to bad powder, in many instances hardly buried the shot. She 
had about a dozen men killed, and a few wounded. 

" I visited the castle to ascertain the cause of its early sur- 
render, and a single glance satisfied me that it would have 
been impracticable for the Mexicans to stand to their guns. 
The very material which formerly insured their safety was now 
a means of destruction, for the castle is built of a sort of lime- 



130 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

stone resembling coral, into wMeli a solid shot will penetrate a 
short distance and remain buried, having little or no effect ; but 
with shell it was another matter, they would explode, and rend 
the stone in immense masses, killing and wounding the men at 
the guns, in many instances shattering the walls from summit 
to foundation. I am perfectly satisfied that in a few hours more 
it would have been a mass of rubbish. Only picture to yourself 
a shower of two hundred shell and shot a minute falling into 
the castle ! Davis told me a man might stay there and be killed, 
but it was impossible to do anything, for he was not on his feet 
five minutes before he was knocked down again by a fragment 
of wood or stone. 

" Out of two hundred and sixty Mexican sailors in the water 
batteries, only thirty-eight escaped ; and in the hurry and con- 
fusion of removing the dead but little pains were taken to secure 
the weights affixed to sink them, so that their bodies were seen 
floating about in all directions. 

" The Cavaliero Alto was very much shattered, and a few 
more shells would have reached the magazine. The guns were 
rendered useless, with scarce an exception, by the destruction 
of the carriages. Loaded shells were found lying alongside of 
them. I suppose they had difficulty in keeping the men at the 
guns. There were furnaces for heating shot, but no prepara- 
tions for using them. The fact seems to be, that they were 
astonished at the shower of missiles hurled upon them, and were ■ 
incapable of effective resistance. They could not have been 
more surprised than I was at the effect of shell-shot. Each of 
the frigates had two 8-pounder guns and about a dozen carron- 
ades, out of which they fired nothing but shell. The Creole 
fired nothing else, and the bomb-vessels threw one hundred and 
fifty, twenty-five of which fell in the castle. I have no doubt, 
if it had not been for the motion of the sea they would have 
completely demolished the structure. This was the only error, 
in my opinion, in the Admiral's arrangements. He should have 
placed the bomb-vessels to the south, instead of east, where they 
would have little or no motion. 

" Many would be disposed to accuse the Mexicans of pusil- 



THE BOMBARDMENT OF SAN" JUAN DE ULLOA. 131 

lanimous conduct; but, although I am of the opinion that a 
better defense might have been made by placing their men, 
under cover and awaiting the assault which would have followed 
in a few hours, yet I believe that, with their limited means and 
preparations, together with their orders not to fire the first shot, 
the result would have been the same. 

" On the 29th the Americans and other foreigners went on 
shore again, and affairs began to assume a tranquil aspect. The 
French visited the town and market, as we did. On the 4th of 
December all was bustle and confusion in the city. The news 
was, that Santa Anna had arrived and Rincion had been ordered 
to Mexico for trial, the Government disapproving of his capitu- 
lation and other proceedings. The Consul, Gardner, and I im- 
mediately called on Eincion. He told us that Santa Anna would 
take command. We next called on that gentleman, who received 
us kindly, and said we must ' tell President Yan Buren and Mr. 
Forsyth that we were all one family, and must be united against 
Europeans obtaining a foothold on this continent.' He promised 
that everything should be done to secure our citizens from harm 
or loss, and informed us that the Mexican Government had dis- 
approved of the sun-ender, and that they were determined to 
perish with the town rather than yield one point for which they 
had contended. He further informed us that he had sent official 
notice to that effect to the French Admiral. 

" It appears that Baudin repKed to Santa Anna, giving him 
until the next morning to answer. Whatever his demands were, 
they were not complied with, and it was determined to renew 
the attack. 

" The French landed in three divisions, one at each fort on 
the north and south of the city, and one at the mole ; the last 
commanded by Baudin in person. They blew the gates off their 
hinges with sacks of powder, and the Prince de Joinville, with 
about one hundred men, rushed for Santa Anna's headquarters ; 
but the guard resisted them twenty minutes, and Santa Anna 
was enabled to make his escape through the adjoining house, in 
his shirt and trousers. Arista was captured. 

" The Mexicans had about four hundred men in the city, 



132 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

scattered in the different fortifications, who soon gave way be- 
fore the French and retreated to the barracks, where Santa 
Anna joined them. The Prince collected a force and tried to 
dislodge them, but was repulsed. He continued his efforts for 
one or two hours, however. Although the town may be said to 
have been virtually in the possession of the French, a desultory 
fire was still kept up from the house-tops, which caused them 
considerable loss. 

" The Admiral, conceiving that he had accomplished the 
object of the attack, viz., the destruction of the forts, so that he 
need apprehend nothing from them in case of a norther, gave 
the order to embark. The moment this movement was attempt- 
ed, Santa Anna sallied out with three or four hundred men, and 
harassed the French all the way on their return to the mole, 
making a desperate effort to destroy their boats and take the 
Admiral prisoner. This object was frustrated by the discharge 
of a field-piece loaded to the muzzle with grape and canister, 
by which Santa Anna had his left leg taken off and a dozen of 
his party were killed or wounded. The Mexicans, however, 
continued to fight with great gallantry, and Admiral Baudin 
had a narrow escape with his life. The French acknowledged 
nearly one hundred killed and wounded ; the Mexicans twenty 
or thirty. When the disparity of force (the French landed in 
a dense fog with twelve hundred men, in three divisions) and 
the other circumstances are fairly considered, I think it will be 
found that Santa Anna's defense was highly creditable to him- 
self and his countrymen." 

The following letter to Commodore Barron is valuable, as 
giving more fully Farragut's observations on this action, and 
especially his opinion of the effectiveness of bomb-vessels : 

*' United States Ship Erie, March, 1839. 

" My Dear Ser : You have doubtless seen many accounts of 

the attack and capture of San Juan de UUoa, and therefore I do 

not write with the hope of giving you anything new on the 

subject, but simply for the pui-pose of explaining the causes of 



OBSEEVATIONS AND OPINIONS ON THE BATTLE. 133 

the capture, and of giving you some idea of the improvements 
going on in the French navy while we are standing still, para- 
lyzed by an adherence to the rules of '98, which were no doubt 
very good in their day, but which by no means suit the present 
time. 

" For example, the castle of San Juan de UUoa could not have 
been taken by thrice the force on those principles, while we who 
saw it fall now believe it could have been taken by half the 
force employed. By the new system, the Enghsh and ourselves 
may affect to despise the French by sea, but depend upon it, sir, 
they are in science far ahead of us both, and when England next 
meets France on the ocean she will find a different enemy from 
that of the last war. Of all this I know you have seen much in 
theory, but I have seen it tested in practice. I will commence 
by giving Admiral Baudin the greatest praise for the plan and 
execution of the whole affair. He would be undoubtedly a rara 
a/ois in any navy. He is about fifty years of age, has lost his 
right arm, looks like a north of Europe man, has a fine address, 
and speaks English well. He has every mark of a polished 
seaman and officer, with the expression of great decision, with 
firmness and activity to execute his well-digested plans. These 
were my remarks the first time I saw him, and his subsequent 
conduct soon proved I was right. I will now proceed to the 
causes of the fall of San Juan. 

" In the first place, the Admiral had the plan of the castle, 
taken from the original in Madrid, by which he soon discovered 
that there were certain points of bearing on which they could 
bring but five or six guns to bear, and that the engineer had 
calculated on the reefs for protection. By sounding, he found 
he could moor two frigates head and stern in that position. 
(The commander of the third frigate had been out here a long 
time, lost many men by fever, and suffered much by privation, 
and somewhat in reputation for having dissented from Com- 
modore Bazoche's desire to attack it on a former occasion. The 
Admiral consented that he should take the third position, but 
told him he would be more exposed, as the fort could bring 
eight or ten guns more to bear on them by extending their lines.) 



134 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

Tlie guns on these angles of the fort he knew to be of small 
caliber. Although you would scarcely credit it, the Mexicans 
had given an order to the commander of the fort not on any 
account to fire the first gun. The Admiral, as every good gen- 
eral will, fully availed himself of the advantage thus yielded by 
the enemy, went on shore at night, and made his notes of all 
the weak points, etc. They saw him, but dared not fire ! This 
order I consider the principal cause of the French sustaining no 
loss. They were thus enabled, on the morning of the attack, to 
take their positions one by one, and moor very deliberately, head 
and stern, until they were all in position ; whereas a well-direct- 
ed fire from the fort could have destroyed the steamers. The 
utility of the latter vessels was never so apparent. Everything 
was done by them. The day was calm, or nearly so, and the 
ships had no sails to manage. As soon as the anchor was let 
go, they were ready for action. The bomb-vessels were next 
placed (for which the range had been calculated), and two sloops 
took position at right angles with their range, to tell by signal 
the effect of the bombs. So you see all was arranged with 
science and skill, and without the slightest interruption. 

" At the signal, they poured in upon the castle such a shower 
of shot and shell that nothing but a casemated battery could 
have enabled the men to stand at their guns. Kow it was seen 
for the first time that the material of which UUoa is built (soft 
coral) was the worst substance in the world for protection against 
the modern shell. The French threw almost entirely shell-shot, 
which entered the wall twelve or eighteen inches and then ex- 
ploded, tearing out great masses of stone, and in some instances 
rending the wall from base to top. The damage done by these 
shell-shot was inconceivably greater than that by the shell from 
the bomb-vessels, owing to the former striking horizontally, 
while the latter fell perpendicularly on the bomb-proofs, doing 
but Kttle damage — unless they caused the explosion in the cita- 
del, which is disputed by the Prince de Joinville, who claims 
the credit for his ship, to whose broadside the explosion re- 
sponded. But I am satisfied of one fact, viz., that they might 
have bombarded with the bomb-vessels for a month without 



OBSERVATIONS AND OPINIONS ON THE BATTLE. 135 

success, while the frigates would in four hours more, with their 
shell-shot, have reduced the fort to a heap of ruins. In each of 
the frigates they have two or four 80-pounders that threw shell, 
in addition to the 32-pounders. 

" Having given you an account of the principal causes of 
their success, I will now descend to smaller matters, in which I 
know you feel somewhat interested as well as myself. On look- 
ing around the decks of the Iphigenie, which was still cleared 
for action, I could not help comparing her with the arrange- 
ments of our ship, the one possessing all the improvements of 
the day, and the other fitted up precisely as she would have 
been in '98. The French have no shot-boxes, match-tubs, or 
wad-nets, which of themselves occupy no small space on a ship's 
deck. The shot are in racks made of bar iron. They use the 
percussion lock and fulminating tubes, and their wads are little 
grummets made of rope-yams, about the size of a three-inch 
rope for thirty-twos, and I think a glance will suffice to show 
you that they are better than ours for every useful purpose ; 
they stop the windage better, occupy less space, and take less 
material and time to make them. As to this simple, perma- 
nently useful lock, what shall I say? It is a simple copper 
hammer, pulled by a lock-string — ifo spring, no machinery, in 
fact, nothing that can become deranged. I have now seen them 
tested four hours-— as rapid firing as I ever expect to see — and 
no complaint made, all the Frenchmen speaking in the highest 
terms of them. To my knowledge, two or three have been sent 
to the Department, and yet we are still using spring-locks. The 
First Lieutenant of the Iphigenie I am well acquainted with, 
and can rely on what he says. He told me that some of their 
guns changed their breechings seven times during the action ! 
That with us would have been a serious affair ; but, when I saw 
the simplicity of their arrangement, I found, as he said, that 
with them it was nothing. The permillion ring is removed at 
pleasure, and the breeching, being already spliced with an eye 
on each end, is shackled to the side in a moment. 

" I have already said too much, for a letter to any other per- 
son of your rank, but I flatter myself that I know your love of 



136 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

improvement, and that my intentions will be duly appreciated. 
If we who wander about the world do not keep those at home 
informed of the daily improvements in other navies, how can 
we hope to improve, particularly when we see men impressed 
with the idea that, because they once gained a victory, they can 
do it again ? So they may, but I can tell them it must be with 
the means of 1838, and not those of 1812. 

" Sincerely yours, 

" D. G. Faekagut. 
" To Commodore James Bareon." 

On the 12th of January, 1839, Farragut gave up the com- 
mand of the Erie, then lying at Pensacola, to Commander 
Smoot, terminating a cruise to which he declared he would al- 
ways look back with pleasure. He returned home by land, 
visiting his sister in Kew Orleans. On his arrival at l^orfolk, 
finding his wife's health in a precarious condition, he remained 
unemployed, except by occasional duty on courts-martial, until 
December, 1840. He says : 

"At this time the disease of my afflicted wife appeared to 
be drawing to a crisis. On the 2Yth of December she termi- 
nated a life of unequaled suffering, which for sixteen years she 
had borne with unparalleled resignation and patience, affording 
a beautiful example of calmness and fortitude." 

No more striking illustration of his gentleness of character 
is shown than in Farragut's attention to his invalid wife. His 
tenderness in contributing to her every comfort, and catering to 
every whim, through sixteen years of suffering, forms one of 
the brightest spots in the history of his domestic life. When 
not at sea, he was constantly by her side, and proved himself a 
faithful and skillful nurse. It was the subject of remark by all 
who were thrown with him, and a lady of ]^orf oik said, " When 
Captain Farragut dies, he should have a monument reaching to 
the skies, made by every wife in the city contributing a stone 
to it." 



CHAPTEK XIY. 

APPOINTMENTS AND EXERCISE ON SHIPBOAKD — VISITS FROM CELEB- 

KITIES — FABRAGIJT RECEIVES A COMMISSION AS COMMANDER 

THE BRAZILIAN STATION A BULL-FIGHT HE TAKES COMAIAND 

OF THE DECATUR GOVERNOR ROSAS — A SINGULAR FESTIVAL 

— A DIFFICULT MANCEUVRE — UP THE PARAHYBA — AN EARTH- 
QUAKE AT SEA. 

" I APPLIED for sea service, and on the 22d of February, 
1841, received orders to tlie Delaware, as her executive officer. 
She was in the stream, in charge of the officers of the receiving- 
ship, and on the 24th of March was dehvered to us. I proceed- 
ed at once to overhaul her and rig ship with all possible dispatch. 

" I now saw and encountered for the first time the great 
difficulty of handling half tops. I had been a looker-on for 
several days while the officers of the Pennsylvania with much 
difficulty succeeded in placing them. They spent from four 
hours to half a day in placing a single half top. I discovered 
that the operation could be performed in from fifteen to twenty 
minutes, in which time I put over the tops of the Delaware. 

" On the Yth of May four hundred and fifty men were trans- 
ferred to the ship. I stationed them as soon as possible, and 
proceeded to get ready for sea. On the 13th we dropped down 
between the forts, and on June 4th were towed down to Hamp- 
ton Eoads. 

" Most of the crew were seamen and landsmen, and even a 
large portion of the able seamen were ignorant of exercise, so 
that two months were spent in drilling them at the single guns 
and by divisions, before I considered them sufficiently schooled 
to attempt general quarters. 

" I had considerable difficulty in organizing the powder 
division, and making the necessary fixtures for whipping it up 



138 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

to the upper deck. This was done by large wooden gin-blocks 
screwed into the decks — one over the after hatch, another over 
the fore, for the main-deck guns, and another at the fore scuttle, 
slung to an iron crane from the bit-head, which supplied the 
spar-deck guns. They each had a corresponding pulley on the 
orlop deck, around which worked a leather belt with double 
hooks, on which the lanyards of the passing-boxes were placed 
for ascending or descending, 

" From the 12th of July, 1841, the regulation which required 
a divisional exercise daily, and general quarters Tuesdays and 
Fridays, was adhered to as rigidly as possible. At general quar- 
ters the magazines were always opened, and masked balls were 
passed in lieu of cartridges, which enabled us to test the perfec- 
tion of our powder arrangements. 

" On the 23d it was determined to test our preparations for 
battle by something more satisfactory than the mere passing of 
balls. The Captain therefore gave orders for three broadsides. 
The ship was cleared for action, the decks sanded, small ai-ms 
passed into the tops, preventer braces on the lower and topsail 
yards, and, in fine, every arrangement made for a sham fight. 

"I began by giving the usual orders in exercise, going 
through the motions of firing — the charge supposed to be al- 
ready in the guns. I then gave the order to pass the powder 
from the magazine, and for the captains of the guns to go on 
with the exercise, loading and firing as fast as possible. In f our 
minutes from the time the first gun was fired, the main-deck 
divisions had completed their three broadsides ; the lower deck 
was perhaps a minute longer. The firemen, boarders, pikemen, 
and small-arm men were all exercised, the latter discharging 
from six to twelve rounds. In fifteen minutes from the time 
the first gun was fired, the guns were reported secure, and the 
retreat beaten. This I consider fair work for a line-of -battle ship. 

" I went on shore to visit the laboratory at Old Point, and 
while there saw the whole process of preparing fuses for shells. 
They meal the powder by rubbing it in a mortar ; then with a 
ladle about as large as a thimble pour it into the fuse, place an 
iron presser on it, and strike it fifteen or twenty blows, tiU the 



VISITS FKOM CELEBEITIES. 139 

di'iver rebounds. This process is repeated until the fuse is 
filled. Before putting in the last ladleful, they lay in the top 
of the fuse a piece of quick match about two inches long, then 
drive in the last ladleful, leaving the ends of the match to be 
coiled down in the bore of the fuse. The fuse is then driven 
into the shell till its outer end is even with the inner surface of 
the fuse-hole. Put a little mealed powder on the top of the 
quick match, and place over the end of the fuse the iron cap, 
and screw it down. Then remove the end of the small piece of 
red morocco from the filling-hole of the shell, pour in a pint or 
a pint and a half of priming powder, stop up the hole with a 
small pine plug, and your shell is ready for use. I burned many 
of the fuses by way of experiment. They seldom burned less 
than ten seconds, although when fired they did not appear to 
bum over five. Fuses are generally calculated to burn two 
seconds to the inch. 

" We were ordered to Annapolis, and arrived there on 
August 4:th. Here we were visited by the people to the num- 
ber of nearly two thousand daily. 

" On the 14th the steamer "Washington came alongside, 
bringing the Secretary of the Kavy and other members of the 
Cabinet, and about a hundred members of Congress, with a 
himdred other gentlemen and ladies. The Secretary inspected 
the ship, and the company amused themselves looking about the 
deck, and talking and eating with Jack Tar. After dinner we 
cleared for action, and went through the exercises, firing six 
broadsides. 

" On the 25th we received on board Chief Justice Taney, 
with several ladies and gentlemen. They invited the officers to 
go on board the steamer to dance. 

" On September 27th the Captain came on board, bringing 
my commission [as commander] and those of Berryman and 
Stanley. All hands were called to muster, and the several 
commissions were read. 

" Colonel Watnough came on board and spent a few days 
with us. A more agreeable gentleman and warm-hearted fel- 
low 1 never became acquainted with. 
10 



140 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

" I wet my commission with a dozen of champagne. 

" We got under way, stood down the bay, and on October 
1st anchored in Hampton Roads. We found there the French 
frigate L'Armide and the brig Bison. During a severe gale the 
Prince de Joinville visited the vessels, and notwithstanding the 
violence of the wind the yards were manned and the vessels 
dressed out with flags. When he left, two broadsides were 
fired, that being the salute of the Prince. It was said that one 
of the sailors was blown from the yards, and not one in the tier 
could stand in his place, 

" On the 18th Eobert Walsh, Esq., Secretary of Legation at 
the court of Brazil, came on board to take passage, and on the 
22d President Tyler, accompanied by Commodore Morris, Cap- 
tains Black and Armstrong, and Commander Stribling, came on 
board. While they were with us we went through all the evo- 
lutions of an engagement. 

" On November 1st we got under way, and stood out to 
sea, in company with the ships Washington, Harkaway, and 
Cyane. 

" On the 28th we discovered that the copper was bursting 
off. It appeared to me to be caused by the swelling of the felt, 
which started the nails on the upjDer edge, and then as she rose 
the hydraulic pressure forced it off downward. I was satisfied 
from the first that the application of felt was absurd, as it has 
no strength, and as soon as the copper is removed the felt washes 
away ; besides this, it swells sufficiently to burst off the copper, 
and is only a dead weight on the bottom and produces great 
irregularity in the bottom. I saw the bottom of the Guerriere 
when the copper was removed from it after a lapse of twenty- 
five years. It had been put on with a coat of turpentine and 
tallow, and the wood was as fresh as the day it was put on, and 
the bottom perfectly smooth. 

" On December 12th we made the harbor of Rio de Janeiro, 
and found all the squadron here except the Enterprise. 

" On the 14th our Commodore visited the French, Brazilian, 
and Portuguese, and was saluted. The Portuguese, from igno- 
rance, displayed the American flag, so we were by etiquette 



THE BRAZILIAN STATION— A BULL-FIGHT. 141 

obliged to return tlie salute. Such salutes are never returned 
unless the national flag is displayed, but it is the custom always 
to acknowledge this compliment. 

" Christmas day ! And nothing could be more uninviting 
for a country visit. Yet we had engaged to dine with Birck- 
land ; so off we set, the Commodore, Captain McCauley, and I. 
We had a dismal ride, and got there too late for dinner. We 
had a pleasant time, however, but foimd that returning was 
worse than going. The driver was drunk, the rain fell in tor- 
rents, and the wind blew a gale and howled dismally among 
the dark old forest trees. We arrived on board thoroughly 
drenched. 

" I began the new year by giving the ship a general over- 
hauling. The Emperor of Brazil and all the royal family, with 
our Minister Mr. Hunter and all the naval commanders, came 
on board to visit us. 

" We fired a salute for the amusement of the Emperor and 
his sisters, beat the retreat, and escorted them into the cabin, 
where they partook of a collation — ^by themselves — and then the 
nobles and the rest of the company were served. 

" On the 15th we made all sail, in two columns, and went to 
sea. On the 31st we arrived at Montevideo. 

" February 3d a schooner came off with a party of ladies and 
gentlemen to visit our ship ; so we had a little waltz. 

" We celebrated Washington's birthday with a salute. The 
Montevidian and Brazilian men-of-war also fired, but the French 
and English did not. 

" On the 27th we went ashore to see a bull-fight. We saw 
seven or eight bulls killed by the matadores, and two horses 
killed by the bulls. One bull was baited by five bull-dogs, a 
most amusing sight. The bull kept one, and sometimes two, of 
the dogs ia the air nearly all the time. The precision with 
which the matadores strike the bull is astonishing. In every 
instance the first blow was fatal. But it is altogether a barbar- 
ous sight, and must have done much in Spanish countries toward 
producing the reckless use of the knife, and other cruel practices 
which are so common. Even delicate women do not appear to 



142 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

be affected at the sight of a horse trampling out his own bowels 
as he walks along after being gored by the bull. 

" On the 1st of April we interred the remains of Midship- 
man McCook in the English burying-ground, with all the honors 
due to his rank. Thus terminated the short career of a zealous 
young officer, who, if he had been spared, was likely to prove 
one of ]^eptune's worthiest sons. 

" On June 1st I received orders to relieve Commander 
Ogden in the Decatur, and accordingly went on board, mustered 
the crew, read my orders, and assumed command. 

" Thus closed my service on board the Delaware as executive 
officer, a service to which I shall always look back with gratifi- 
cation, as it was the last step in the ladder of subordinate duties, 
and I feel proud to think I performed it with the same zeal as 
the first." . 

Although Farragiit had held several commands, they were 
assigned under the exigencies of the service, and not by right 
of rank. He was now on board a ship with the full rank, and, 
although it was his practice to give himself earnestly to whatso- 
ever duties were required of him, still he evidently felt an ex- 
cusable degree of pride and satisfaction in his present position, 
beyond that which he had experienced in his brevet service. 

On taking command of the Decatur he found that several of 
the crew had been discharged, and an entire reorganization was 
necessary, which he promptly effected. He mentions that his 
vessel outsailed the whole squadron. While his ship was lying 
at Rio de Janeiro, he speaks of the pleasant interchange of 
civilities with British naval officers, especially Captain Bruce, 
of the Agincourt, 74, who was a lieutenant on board the Bel- 
vedere in the war of 1812, and whom Farragut calls a " clever 
fellow," which was a strong term of praise with him. 

On the 2d of July the Decatur, in company with the Dela- 
ware, sailed for the Eio de la Plata. The Foui-th, the anniver- 
sary of our national Independence, was celebrated as well as 
possible, considering that the ship was at sea in a heavy gale. 
The vessels anchored in the harbor of Montevideo on the 13th, 



GOVERNOR ROSAS. 143 

and on the 15th Commodore Morris transferred his broad pen- 
nant to the Decatm* and proceeded in her to Buenos Ayres. 
The journal continues : 

" We went on shore a good deal, our time being chiefly taken 
up -with official visiting during the day and ' tertulias ' at night. 

" We paid a visit to Governor Rosas, and were highly enter- 
tained by a description of his early campaigns, the subject being 
introduced by an inquiry on the part of Commodore Morris as 
to the character of the Indians of the interior. The Governor 
mentioned a singular fact showing the effect of cHmate on the 
inhabitants. He said he made it a rule never to treat with the 
natives during a northeasterly wind, or to admit them to his 
presence, for during such periods they were morose and intract- 
able ; but that during the southwest wind he never found the 
least difficulty in making arrangements with them on honorable 
terms, as at such times they were always brave and generous. 
He added that he had made this discovery early in life, and 
subsequently profited by it in his campaigns. 

" At half-past ten, on this occasion, the other officers were 
invited into an adjoining room, leaving Rosas and the Commo- 
dore alone, and they were engaged in a private conversation 
until twelve o'clock. 

" "We had an excellent opportunity to form an idea of Rosas's 
character, as he appeared to throw off all restraint while with 
us. But the Commodore informed us that, as soon as he laid 
business matters before him, Rosas was a different person ; he 
was calm and measured in manner and language. We con- 
cluded, from our observations, that he was a man of uncommon 
mind and energy, and as a general thing reasonable ; but on the 
subject of secret societies he was a madman, if we might judge 
from his furious denunciation of them. He said they would 
ruin the United States at some future day. 

" The next interesting incident was our visit to the Gover- 
nor's quinta, or country house. The Commodore and I started 
out on horseback on the morning of the 10th, and, after picking 
our way through the mud for about an hour, along what is called 



144 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. 

the ' Beach road,' found ourselves in front of the quinta. On 
entering the yard we saw some guaehos preparing a table with 
eatables, under a kind of summer house or extension of the back 
porch. We were kindly welcomed and invited into the sitting- 
room, where we found Madame Marcellius, the younger sister of 
Rosas, a most beautiful and interesting woman. In a short time 
Emanuehta, his daughter, entered, accompanied by several of 
her lady friends, among them the wife of her brother, and her 
cousin Corina, the daughter of Colonel Rosas. Corina is her 
nearest and dearest friend, and they sympathize in all their tastes 
and amusements — except that Emanuelita possesses a much 
higher order of mind. It was her province to entertain the 
Governor's company, and to see that they went away pleased 
with their visits — a duty which involved great responsibility 
and was not always agreeable, as she was compelled to associate 
with all degrees of persons, the highest and the lowest. Seno- 
rita Emanuelita was plainly but neatly attired in calico, with a 
white apron, her hair dressed simply, the only ornament being 
a narrow ribbon bow on one side, which is worn by all the ladies 
of Buenos Ayres as an evidence that they are good Federdlists. 
She appeared glad to see us, and entered into a lively chit-chat 
with an ease pecuhar to herself. When she went out for a few 
moments, Madame Rosas sang and played on the guitar, in very 
good taste, so far as we were capable of judging. 

" We found the weather very uncomfortable — raw while 
sitting under the porch, and intensely hot in the sun — which 
inclined us to shorten our visit ; so, as soon as propriety would 
permit, we rose to take our leave ; but they insisted on our re- 
maining to breakfast, telling us we would find only every-day 
fare, d la costunibre del pais. This excited the Commodore's 
curiosity, as he was desirous of learning the manners of the coun- 
try, so the invitation was a'ccepted. We went out to the break- 
fast-table — though that was rather a misnomer, as it was really a 
dinner. We all sat down with our hats and caps on, the natives 
wearing their ponchos. The table groaned under the load of 
provisions. There were, I think, eight dishes to each course, 
any one of which was enough for all, and four courses. Corina 



GOVERNOR ROSAS. 145 

helped the gentlemen, while Emanuelita did the honors of the 
entertainment. The former paid more attention to the costumbre 
del pais than to the taste and quality of her American guests, 
for she helped us as abundantly as if we had been laboring men, 
and half-starved ones at that. It was no want of delicacy on 
the part of the young lady, however, who was perfectly genteel 
in appearance and demeanor. 

" Madame Marcellius seemed to be a superior person. Al- 
though somewhat too large to be called a good figure, still her 
face was so pretty, the expression so soft, and her manners so 
easy and graceful, that she would always be considered dis- 
tinguee. The others were better trained and more accustomed 
to play their parts in the salas of the city. But they all ap- 
peared as much at home, d la guacho, as they did the first 
night I saw them in town. 

" During the breakfast, champagne and claret flowed quite 
freely. After the meal, 'Manuelita proposed a visit to her ball- 
room, and we all walked down to the river-side, where we found 
an American brig which had been cast up on shore during a 
heavy gale. The Governor had her got up on even keel and 
fitted up by dropping the middle deck so as to have a height 
of nine feet between decks. This made a room of thirty by 
eighteen feet. The cabin was used for a ladies' dressing-room, 
and the whole arrangement was unique, but convenient. 

" We returned to the city about three o'clock in the after- 
noon. The Commodore and I mingled much in society, attend- 
ing tertulias at the houses of Casati Roodes, Mr. Mandevill, the 
English Minister, Mr. G. Zimmerman, and Consul Edwards, 
until the 21st, when we sailed for Montevideo." 

Farragut's vessel soon returned to Buenos Ayres. On the 
10th of September, while there, the death of the Duke of Or- 
leans, eldest son of Louis Philippe, was announced, and he 
joined the French vessels in the harbor in paying respect to his 
memory. He says : 

" During the month of September I made it a rale to spend 
two or three evenings a week at the Governor's. On the 5th 



146 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. 

of October we rode out to tlie encampment to witness a military 
festival called ' the feast of the month of Kosas,' during which 
period, from the 5th to the 11th, there is a great interchange of 
civilities, ending on the last day with a general celebration in 
honor of Kosas's victories. This custom was established, I be- 
lieve, through the diplomacy of Madame Eosas. 

" Our party went to the Government House to take refuge 
from the dust, breakfasted with 'Manuelita and her lady friends, 
visited the encampment, and then returned to town, but not be- 
fore promising 'ManueKta to come back on the 11th. 

" On that day, at 7 a. m., I mounted my horse and rode out 
to the camp, where I arrived in two hours. The ladies were 
not yet up, so I took my seat under a tree and silently watched 
the religious ceremonies going on. 'Near the Government House 
a large canopy was erected, drawn out to posts eighteen feet 
high, covering an area of about thirty feet diameter. Near 
the center was an altar for divine service; on the left was a 
smaller one, and in front of this, just within the curtain of the 
tent, was a pulpit. Handsome carpets were spread befoi-e each. 
When everything was in readiness, it being then ten o'clock, the 
Commander was notified, the bands of music struck up, and sol- 
diers were seen marching from all directions toward the pavilion. 
At their head was the commanding officer, the General, and the 
senior Colonel, to whom I was introduced. The troops were 
marshaled in front of the tent, numbering about three thousand. 
As the senior officers approached, carrying the portrait of the 
Governor, all heads were uncovered, the band playing the na- 
tional hymn. The ladies of the household followed, and knelt 
before the altar. The picture was placed on the small altar, and 
two officers, with drawn swords, stood by to guard it. They 
were relieved every fifteen minutes during the services, which 
were long and tedious. 

"An old priest, said to be a Spaniard, made a discourse, 
which was nothing more than a eulogium on Eosas and an ex- 
hortation to the soldiery. The amount of it was, that the Gov- 
ernor was the author of all the good thus far enjoyed, and to the 
soldiers they looked for all the benefits to come. He said that 



A SINGULAR FESTIVAL. 147 

God would smile upon tliem and support them in the great good 
work of destroying the ' savage Unitarians.' 

" Vivas resounded from the whole army, as well as from the 
large concourse of spectators who had been attracted, like my- 
self, by curiosity. At the close of the address, rockets were 
fired, the bands of music struck up again, and, amid the clatter, 
the portrait was borne to the apartment of Rosas's son by two 
general oflScers. 

" These ceremonies occupied nearly five hours, during which 
time eight soldiers were prostrated by the overpowering heat. 

" The troops were all fine-looking men, well dressed, well 
armed, and apparently well disciphned. They form a corps de 
reserve, are stationed five leagues from the city, and are always 
ready to march at a moment's warning. Rosas had also fifteen 
hundred soldiers at Chascomanas, six hundred at Bahia Blanco, 
and six hundred at Tondil, besides a thousand friendly Indians 
at the two last-named places. By reference to the map it will 
be seen that he could concentrate a considerable force upon any 
part of the province in which that monster ' Unitarianism ' 
might rise against him. 

" At 3 p. M. we sat down to dinner. Many toasts were drunk 
to the ' illustrious restorer of the laws,' many in commemoration 
of his departed spouse, who by her sagacity had wrought so 
much good, and many to the 'kind, amiable, and beautiful 
daughter,' all of which 'Manuelita most assuredly deserved, ex- 
cept the beauty ; she could not altogether lay claim to that attri- 
bute. Loud vivas followed every toast. 

" After dinner we walked over to witness the amusements 
of the camp. First, we saw an exhibition of tight-rope dancing, 
and then the great guacho game of riding at a ring, which is 
called by the Spaniards sortija. An avenue is formed of ever- 
greens, spanned by three arches — one at each end and one in 
the middle. From the latter a ring is suspended, so placed that 
a horseman may reach it when at full gallop. A certain num- 
ber of young men enter the Hsts, the horses and riders capari- 
soned in the richest style, but in strict guacho costume. They 
are equally divided, and a party is placed under each of the 



148 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

arclies at tlie extremities of the course. At a given signal each 
one in turn starts ofi at full speed, armed with a short lance to 
take off the ring. It is astonishing with what dexterity they 
accomplish this feat. I beheve, during the half hour that I 
was present, the ring was missed but three times. Every suc- 
cessful rider received the vivas of the multitude. One of the 
Governor's nephews, named Ecuri, was the champion on this 
occasion. 

" About eight o'clock we walked out to witness an abortive 
attempt to send up a balloon, which rose about fifty feet and 
then collapsed. 

" At nine we got into a carriage and were driven to another 
part of the camp, where a ball-room had been fitted up in an 
old quinta. The walls formed two sides of a square, while the 
enclosure was completed with evergreens hung with emblematic 
decorations and lanterns. All around the house were groups of 
negroes and the lower class of natives, thumping away on drums 
and guitars, and executing the national dances. 

"We were all seated in the corridor for nearly an hour, 
waiting the exhibition of some fireworks, which finally went 
off and were very beautiful. As the last spark went out, the 
national hymn was performed by the band, all the assembly 
joining, with uncovered heads. 

" We were now invited into the ball-room, which was very 
neat and sufficiently large for the company, and, but for one 
feature, would have done great credit to the manager. This 
was a picture which would have disgraced even barbarian society. 
It was a full-size figure representing a Federal soldier, with a 
Unitarian lying on the ground, the Federal pressing his knees 
between the victim's shoulders, whose head was pulled back 
with the left hand, and the throat cut from ear to ear, while the 
executioner exultingly held aloft a bloody knife and seemed to 
be claiming the applause of the spectators. I am sure I do not 
err in saying that every one of our party felt an involuntary 
shudder come over him when his eye fell on this tableau ; nor 
did we afterward recover our spirits ; everything in the way of 
gayety, on our part, during the night was forced and un- 



BALLS AND A BARBECUE. I49 

natural. We returned to the city about seven o'clock the next 
morning. 

" On the 5th of November I was invited to a ball at the 
Yictoria Theatre, and went in company with our Consul and 
several officers of the ship. It was given to 'Manuelita, and 
opened by her with a minuet, after which the dancing became 
general. There were quadrilles, Spanish contra-dances, waltzes, 
and occasionally a ' minuet montenero,' the national dance. On 
this, as on all other similar occasions, I danced the first quadrille 
with the charming 'Manuelita. 

" On the 12th, the firing of great guns announced the arrival 
of Admiral Brown, of the Buenos Ayres navy, who had been 
sent up to Parana in pursuit of Garibaldi, the Montevidean 
commander, who had undertaken to carry stores to Corrientes. 
As he met with many obstacles in his course. Brown was enabled 
to overtake him. Garibaldi ran his vessel into a creek, and 
made a most desperate resistance, fought until he had expended 
everything in the way of ammunition, then landed his crew and 
set his vessel on fire; when Brown returned, having accom- 
plished the object of his expedition. 

" Eleven o'clock the next day was the hour appointed for 
the successful Admiral to land. The Comandancia, or house 
of the Captain of the Port, was decorated with flags ; two open 
carriages drove down to the beach — one a sort of triumphal car 
for the good old Admiral, the other containing his wife and 
'Manuelita. 

" Brown landed amid the huzzas of the crowd, and the 
firing of guns and rockets. Two bullocks were at the same 
time roasting on the beach, as came con cuero. The party 
marched in slow order to the Comandancia, preceded by a 
band of young men playing guitars and singing a song com- 
posed for the occasion. On the lYth of October a grand 
ball was given in honor of the Admiral's victory, which I 
attended." 

Nothing of interest occurred during the remaining weeks of 
Farragut's stay at Buenos Ayi-es. He continued to visit the 



150 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

Governor's family, riding out frequently with the ladies, and 
became, as he says, quite an expert horseman. After joining 
the Delaware at Montevideo, and making an exchange of some 
officers, the Decatur proceeded to Rio. She remained but a 
short time in port, when, dispatches for the United States 
having been received on board, she sailed on her homeward 
voyage. 

Farragut, who was very proud of the working and sailing 
qualities of his little ship, describes how he managed to get her 
out of the harbor of Rio, under circumstances somewhat similar 
to those in which the Katchez had been placed about nine years 
previous, reference to which has been already made. In both 
instances his thorough seamanship and skill were displayed to 
the admiration of many professional men who watched his 
manoeuvres with great interest. In regard to the working of 
the Decatur, he says : 

" Getting under way was rather a difficult manoeuvre with 
us, having Rat Island on our starboard beam, a Brazilian frigate 
on our larboard, a sloop of war on our starboard quarter, but 
nearly astern, and a large merchantman on our larboard quar- 
ter; the tide running flood, wind south, and lying in eleven 
and a haK fathoms of water. The great difficulty to be ap- 
prehended was, that in such a depth of water the tide would 
sweep us into the hawse of the sternmost vessels before we 
could gather headway, as they were all lying close to us. 
We succeeded, however, in the following manner: hove to a 
short stay, set the topsails, braced the head yards slightly a-box 
on the larboard tack, braced the after yards sharj) up on the 
starboard tack, and, as soon as the anchor was a-weigh, fell 
off to port; hove the anchor briskly up to the bows, braced 
around the head yards, boarded the main tack, and hauled 
out the spanker; boarded the fore tack, eased off the main 
sheet, and just cleared the stern of the frigate ; so we lost 
nothing. Then we proceeded to cat and fish the anchor, and 
get all sail set, continuing to beat out of the harbor. About 
sunset we cleared Santa Cruz. This, I apprehend, is one of the 



UP THE PARAHYBA. 151 

few instances of a vessel beating out of the harbor of Kio against 
wind and tide." 

The Decatur stopped at the Island of Maranham, and sixty- 
two hours after arrived off Para. Fan-agut, while lying at this 
place, made a little excursion to the interior, his account of 
which is as follows : 

" On the 20th the Consul came on board, and we set out 
with a small party to go up the Eiver Parahyba about twenty- 
five miles, in one of our boats. We arrived at a place called 
Boavista about 12 m., where we procured paddles and proceeded 
to our place of destination, which we reached about 2 p. m. 
Entering a small creek about twice the width of our boat, we 
paddled upward of a mile. On the banks of this little stream 
we saw a great many India-rubber trees, and quantities of cane 
from thirty to forty feet in length. 

" We landed at the house of Jose Angelo, where we spent 
two days most delightfully, rambling through the vast forests 
and examining the various productions of the province in their 
natural growth — the cocoa, the red dye annotto, and the whole 
process of manufacturing the India-rubber, even moulding it 
ourselves, with our hands, into different shapes. I never saw 
such a luxuriant growth of coffee in any of the southern prov- 
inces ; the cane also is remarkably fine, and the cocoa the spon- 
taneous production of the soil. 

" I saw no efforts at cultivation ; but, rich and productive as 
the country is, the inhabitants are compelled to import sugar 
and coffee from the south, which is owing to the great destruc- 
tion of plantations during the revolution, and the sweeping off 
of the greater part of the laboring population by famine and 
disease. 

" On the 21st, after visiting one of the neighbors, we walked 
through the woods four miles to our first place of landing, Boa- 
vista, the boats going around. This walk was performed in the 
full heat of the day, yet so dense was the foliage that I went 
the whole distance with my hat off. We partook of various 



152 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

drinks during the day, made from the fruits of the country. 
One from the mucilaginous covering of the cocoa is delicious, 
similar in taste to the juice of the water-melon ; another, which 
is made from a species of palm, had something the flavor of 
peaches and cream, and, with a dash of wine, was a delightful 
beverage. 

" We set out on our return in the boat about 5 p. m. Toward 
dusk I heard a roaring like steam, which none of us could ac- 
count for; I soon perceived, however, that it came from the 
ocean, but did not think it was anything more than a ' tide rip.' 
Our old host, however, became very much alarmed, and advised 
us to keep close in-shore to avoid the tide-flow which he feared 
would swamp us. I entertained no such apprehension of the 
danger, but followed his advice to gratify him. I soon found 
that he had reason for his caution ; for the seas came upon us 
so fast that one large fellow boarded us before I could get the 
boat clear, and gave us considerable trouble to escape. The 
waves came rolling in about four feet high ; but we passed out 
in gallant style, receiving only a good wetting." 

The next day the Decatur sailed for Chesapeake Bay. Only 
one notable incident occurred on the voyage, which was an 
earthquake at sea. Farragut thus describes its effect : 

" This morning there was a general alarm in the ship, caused 
by a rumbling noise, which was variously attributed ; by some 
to the running out of chain cables, by others to the rolling of 
barrels under the decks, and then a painful impression prevailed 
that the ship was scraping over a bank. It soon became appa- 
rent that it was the shock of an earthquake. I had the time 
marked; it increased gradually in intensity for two minutes, 
and ceased at the end of three minutes. When it was at its 
height, the ship shook very much, and the noise resembled the 
veering out of chain cables. The nearest land, Anguila, was 
one hundred and thirty miles off. I suppose it must have been 
very severe on shore. An hour after the shock the northeast 
trades sprang up quite fresh, and all the clouds were dispersed. 



AF EARTHQUAKE AT SEA. 153 

There appeared to be a sympathy between the earthquake and 
the weather." 

On the 18th of February, 1843, the Decatur arrived at Nor- 
folk, and Farragut was relieved. 

" This cruise," he says, " under Commodore Morris, was one 
of great interest to the ]^avy : it was the first effort of the old 
officers to exercise in naval tactics by the squadron, almost aban- 
doned since 1812. Prior to that period our little fleets, small as 
they were, had been accustomed to cruise off the coast of the 
United States and exercise the officers and crews in the different 
manoeuvres at sea. It was my good fortune to command the 
' smartest ' vessel in the Brazilian squadi'on. Her spars were 
light, however, and easily handled. My visit to Buenos Ayi-es 
was pleasant and highly instructive ; moreover, being on the 
most familiar terms with Governor Rosas and his family, I was 
enabled to do many kind acts for the Unitarians, who were in 
constant danger of their lives, by reason of political accusations, 
if not actual offenses. 

" After my ship was laid up at Norfolk I went to Washing- 
ton, in order to obtain some employment if possible. I waited 
on the Secretary of the Navy, Hon. Abel P. Upshur, who at 
once put an end to all my self-importance by laughing at my 
pretensions for retaining command of the Decatur, which was 
destined for the coast of Africa. 

" I obtained leave of absence, and returned to Norfolk, there 
patiently to await the pleasure of the Department. After serv- 
ing on a court-martial, my health being quite delicate, I went 
up to the mountains, and spent the summer at Fauquier Springs 
and thereabouts. 

" Meanwhile I applied for a command, or for any appro- 
priate employment, but was uniformly unsuccessful. On Sep- 
tember 1st I heard that the command of Norfolk Navy-yard 
was vacant by the removal of Commander Saunders. I went 
to Washington, and urged my claim, but all to no purpose. 
Hon. David Henshaw, of Massachusetts, who had been appoint- 



154 THE LITE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

ed to succeed Mr. Upsliur as Secretary of the Navy, said it was 
enough for him that I was from ]^orf oik ; it was his intention 
to send Northern officers south, and Southern officers north. I 
lent my feeble aid to stop his confirmation by the Senate, and 
it was with not a little satisfaction that I heard he had said he 
was largely indebted to the officers of the Navy for his rejec- 
tion." 



CHAPTER XY. 

MAEKIAGE TO MISS LOYALL SERVICE ON THE PENNSYLVANIA — 

THE MEXICAN WAR HIS EAGERNESS TO CAPTURE THE CASTLE 

OF SAN JUAN DE ULLOA — HIS DISAPPOINTMENT — RETURN TO 
NORFOLK NAVY-YARD LECTURES, EXPERIMENTS, AND AUTHOR- 
SHIP. 

On the 26th of December, 1843, Commander Farragut mar- 
ried Yirgiuia, eldest daughter of William Loyall, Esq., a well 
known and most respected citizen of Norfolk, Yirginia. After 
a wedding tour in which they went as far north as J^ew York, 
they returned to N'orf oik by way of Eichmond. 

In April, 1844, he was ordered to the ship of the line 
Pennsylvania, at Portsmouth, Yirginia, as her executive officer. 
Commodore Bolton, the Lieutenant Finch of the Essex, was in 
command of the station. The journal continues : 

" Few notable occurrences took place, except the visit of 
President Tyler with his beautiful bride. They were accom- 
panied by a large retinue of officers and a few ladies. Later in 
the summer we had a visit from Governor McDowall, of Yir- 
ginia, and in the autumn there was a large concourse of Pres- 
byterians at the meeting of a synod in Norfolk, and they also 
visited our ship. In fact, our time was almost entirely taken 
up with the little details of duty and in showing strangers 
around the ship. 

" In November there was great excitement about the elec- 
tion of a President, each party claiming the victory by turns. 
Mr. Polk, the Democratic candidate, was successful, and the 
Whigs, filled with mortification, execrated the system of making 
voters out of new emigrants. 

" By the removal of Captain Smoot I was left in command 



156 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

of the ship, and later I was ordered to the Navy-yard as second 
in command, having been applied for by Commodore Wilkin- 
son. There I remained until the Mexican war broke out, when 
I made immediate apphcation for duty at the seat of war, be- 
lieving that my experience on the coast of Mexico would be of 
special value to the Government. Among other efforts to ob- 
tain command of a ship, I addressed the following letter to the 
Secretary of the Navy : 

" ' United States Navt-Yaed, Gospoet, 
" ' November 3, I846. 

" ' Sm : At the commencement of our difficulties with Mexico 
I addressed a letter to Mr. Bancroft [Secretary of the Navy from 
March, 1845, to September, 1846], requesting service in the 
GuK, and expressed to him hopes that long service and experi- 
ence in that quarter, together with a tolerable knowledge of the 
Spanish language, might make me serviceable to the Govern- 
ment. To this letter I received no reply. After the declara- 
tion of war, I offered my services again, and requested a com- 
mand. To the last I received the usual reply, " duly noted." 

" ' It is from fear that my first-mentioned letter did not 
reach the Department that I now take the liberty of addressing 
you, sir, in much the same language, with the sincere hope that, 
should anything like an attack on the Castle of San Juan de 
UUoa be contemplated, at some future day, I may be allowed 
to participate in the glorious achievement, for such I believe it 
will be whenever it is undertaken. 

" ' I served in the Gulf in 1822, '23, and '24, under Commo- 
dore Porter, and in 1838, '39 under Commodore Dallas. I was 
present, in command of the sloop-of-war Erie, when the castle 
was taken by the French in 1838, and was in the castle a few 
minutes after its surrender, and I therefore know how vulner- 
able it is to ships. I was intimate with the French officers, and 
saw daily all their preparations and plans of attack ; all of which 
might be serviceable. I am proud to say I learned a good deal. 
The French were prepared to attack by escalade, if it had not 
surrendered the morning it did. This I also considered feasible. 



EAGEKNESS TO CAPTURE SAN JUAN DE ULLOA. 157 

and at, perhaps, much less risk than by bombardment ; but it 
would have been executed under cover of night. My intimate 
knowledge of the localities and these arrangements induces me 
to hope that I may have a position under whoever has the good 
fortune to command the squadron. 

" ' I will here mention also, for fear the Honorable Secretary 
may not have seen it, that I gave Commodore Stockton my 
minutes of the attack on the castle, for his use when it was sup- 
posed that he was bound for Yera Cruz, and he informed me 
that he had given them to Mr. Bancroft. 

" ' From that document you will learn the true state of the 
castle at the time of the surrender. 

" ' I feel that I have trespassed on your time, but iny anxiety 
for the service, as well as the desire to make myself useful, must 
be my apology. 

" ' I have the honor to be, respectfully, sir, 

" ' D. G. Faeragut. 

" ' To Hon. J. Y. Mason, 

" ' Secretary of the Navy.' 

" I finally obtained command of the sloop of war Saratoga, 
after much difficulty. I had urged my claims on the ground 
that I had a thorough knowledge of the harbor of Yera Cruz, 
having been there during the attack on the Castle of San Juan 
de UUoa by Admiral Baudin, had taken great pains to inform 
myseK as to the local advantages in attacking the place, mea- 
sured the depth of water all around the fort, and marked the 
penetration of every shell from the French ships ; and that in 
so doing I had not at the time looked forward to a war with 
Mexico, but I had made it a ride of my life to note these things 
with a view to the ^possible future. I had labored much in this 
way, and it was the first opportunity I had ever had of reaping 
a reward. I urged that I could take the Castle of San Juan 
with the Pennsylvania and two sloops of war like the Saratoga, 
for which declaration I came very near being ruled out as a 
monomaniac. I was willing to take the inferior position of 
executive officer on board the Pennsylvania, that I might have 



158 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

the duty of organizing her crew for the fight ; but it was not 
permitted, and I did not obtain command of the Saratoga until 
February, 1847. 

" I sailed two days after I got possession of the ship, with a 
crew made up of every servant and boat's crew I could lay my 
hands on. Commodore Skinner and Captain Stribling, to their 
credit be it said, giving up theirs cheerfully. I was then ten 
per cent, short of my complement, and had only one man who 
was rated ' seaman.' I exercised them daily on the voyage, 
whenever the weather permitted, and off the Bahama Banks we 
fired at a target, and they made pretty good practice. I had 
them in fair trim by the time we reached Yera Cruz. But we 
were just too late; the castle had surrendered to our forces, 
under General Scott [March 26, 1847], and the flag was proudly 
floating over its walls. 

" I took the yellow fever while there, and was near losing 
my life. 

" Of all the service I had seen since entering the Navy, this 
cruise was the most mortifying. It was insisted that the castle 
had been strengthened with granite and was no longer the same 
as in 1838. Unfortunately, the officers then in the Gulf, who 
did not understand the condition of the fortifications or know 
the people, were not willing to attack, because an English officer 
had said that the castle ' could sink all the ships in the world.' 
It is now known, and sadly felt, that they were imposed upon. 
The Navy would stand on a different footing to-day if our ships 
had made the attack. It was all we could do, and should have 
been done at all hazards. Commodore Conner thought differ- 
ently, however, and the old officers at home backed his opinion ; 
but they all paid the penalty — ^not one of them will ever wear 
an Admiral's flag,* which they might have done, if that castle 

* There is something noteworthy in these words, uttered thirty years ago. Far- 
ragut thought, with many other intelligent friends of the Navy, that the rank of 
Admiral should exist in our service, for many reasons, not the least of which was 
the disadvantage our fleets would labor under in case of cooperation with a foreign 
squadron, when, by the established custom of nations in regard to rank, we would 
always be compelled to yield precedence to the grade of Admiral. He rejected the 



HIS DISAPPOINTMENT. 159 

had been taken by the ^avy, which must have been the result 
of an attack. 

" I have little to look back to with satisfaction or pleasure 
at that time, except the consciousness of having done my duty. 
As I had the ill-will of my Commodore (Perry), I was not per- 
mitted to participate in any of the expeditions and more honor- 
able duties, but was placed under a reef of rocks o£E Tuxpan, 
to blockade that port. When I could bear the imposition no 
longer, I reported the facts to the Navy Department, and asked 
to be reheved from under his command, or from command of 
the ship. Accordingly I was ordered home with my vessel. 
My letters were considered improper by the Secretary of the 
Navy. 

" ' United States Ship Saratoga, Saoeifioios, 
" ' December 12, ISlft. 

" ' Sm : As the time for which this ship was fitted out (twelve 
months) will expire in March, 1848, and her rigging, which, in 
my anxiety and at my earnest desire, was unwillingly passed by 
the surveyors for that period, is already beginning to give way, 
and conceiving that we have endured aU the privations, sickness, 
etc., incidental to a cruise on the coast of Mexico, in the most 
aggravated form, having had all my officers, and more than half 
my crew, down with the yellow fever ; and lastly, having failed 
not only in eliciting from my commander-in-chief any partici- 
pation in the more honorable duties of the squadron for my 
officers and crew, but also, as I conceive, common justice, having 
already been kept on the blockade of Tuxpan five and a half 
months out of seven on the station, while the other vessels of 
the squadron have been very differently situated : 

" ' I have the honor to request that, if it is not deemed ex- 
pedient for the ship to return to the United States within that 

idea that such a designation imported a title of nobility, any more than that of Gen- 
eral or Commodore, and always believed that some signal success or brilliant achieve- 
ment by the Navy would favor the creation of that grade. Hence his bluntly ex- 
pressed dissatisfaction at the opportunity thrown away, as he regarded it, by the 
failure to attack the castle of San Juan de UUoa. How his faith was justified, the 
subsequent events of our civil war illustrate. 



160 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEKAGUT. 

period for tlie purpose of receiving a new gang of rigging and 
a new set of officers, I may be released from the command, as 
the readiest means of securing to those who remain in her a 
more favorable consideration. I am fully aware, sir, that great 
latitude must be given to the commander of a squadron, in 
order to secure his best exertions ; but, if he uses the trust with 
prejudice or partiality, there is no alternative to the subordinate 
but the one I seek, viz., to get from under his command, and in 
so doing I am anxious that those who have shared with me the 
evils of my command should participate in the pleasure of my 
relief. 

" ' I am, sir, with great respect, your obedient servant, 

" ' D. G. Fakeagut, Commander. 

<'<Hon. J. Y. Mason, 

" • Secretary of the Navy, 
" ' Washington, D. 0.' 

•' 'Navt-Yaed, Yeea Ceuz, December 17, 1847. 

" ' Sm : I should have forwarded the accompanying letter 
from Commander Farragut without comment, did it not ascribe 
to me a feeling of prejudice to him. In this opinion he is mis- 
taken, as it would be impossible for me to entertain a prejudice 
against an officer with whom I never before served, and in 
whose company I do not recollect to have passed twenty-four 
hours in my hf e. 

" ' As to the service in which he has been employed, circum- 
stances of sickness in the squadron, and the consequent with- 
drawal of the Mississippi and Decatur, made the arrangement 
absolutely necessary to the faithful performance of the duties 
devolving on me as commander-in-chief. 

" ' The crew of the Saratoga have been less exposed to the 
unhealthy localities of the coast than any vessel of the squadron, 
and have suifered less, in proportion to number, than most of 
them. 

" ' I leave it to the Department to judge of the propriety 
of the language and tone of the letter of Commander Farra- 
gut. 



CONTEOVEKSY WITH OOMMODOEE PERRY. 161 

" ' I liave the honor to be, with great respect, sir, your 
obedient servant, 

"'M. C. Pekrt, 
" ' Commanding Home Squadron. 
" ' Hon. John Y. Mason, 

" ' Secretary of the Navy, 

" ' Washington, D. C 

" * Pensaoola, January S5, ISJfS. 

" ' Sir : As I before stated, I am aware that the Commodore 
of a squadron is made the judge as to the best mode of employ- 
ing the vessels under his command, and therefore my letter of 
the 12th of December, 1847, was only intended as a conditional 
petition to get from under the command of Commodore Perry, 
and I stated my reasons for wishing to relinquish a command I 
had sought with so much ardor for twelve months, and obtained 
at such a sacrifice ; but not with a view to any controversy with 
my commander. But, lest by my silence I should be supposed 
to admit the truth of the statements contained in the comments 
of Commodore Perry, I will reply to them paragraph by para- 
graph, in their respective order : 

" ' That when an ofiicer, for the first time in any service, 
denies me an equal share in the honorable duties of the squad- 
ron, and imposes an undue share of the disagreeable, I am bound 
to attribute it either to prejudice against me or partiality for 
those who are benefited thereby, or to both combined ; and I 
apprehend that I would have no great difficulty in convincing 
you, sir, that a prejudice could possibly exist without my having 
served with an officer, or spending twenty-four hours in his 
company, although we have served before in the same squadron 
more than once. 

" ' In his second paragraph he assumes that my complaint is 
grounded on the " hardship of my duty in blockading Tuxpan," 
whereas it would never have been mentioned, or even thought 
of by me, except in connection with the fact of having been 
denied all participation in the expeditions fitted out by the 
squadron, the last of which occurred about the middle of June, 



162 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

and tlie Mississippi, I believe, had been sent to Pensacola some 
time in August, and the Decatur on the 1st of September. 

" ' In the third paragraph, the Commodore is pleased to say 
that we " have been less exposed to the unhealthy localities than 
any vessel of the squadron," which I admit is but too true, and 
by which he simply means that we were not on the expeditions 
— which was certainly not our fault or because I did not solicit 
it ; therefore I leave the generosity of the remark to the con- 
sideration of the Department. That we have suffered less in 
proportion to number, I deny, as we have had, exclusive of my 
own case, which was pronounced a high state of bilious fever, 
ninety-nine cases ; and, although we had but four deaths, the 
suffering was peculiarly aggravated, and many of those who 
have recovered were given up by the surgeon. As far as I can 
ascertain, no ship in the squadron, except the Mississippi, has 
had a greater number of persons down with the yellow fever, 
although I believe the John Adams lost two and the Decatur 
one more than we have. 

" ' In conclusion, I beg to state that my complaints are sim- 
ply these : 

" ' First. Being denied to participate in the expedition to 
Coatzacoalco, but made to relieve Captain Breese, who did not 
desire it, and who had participated in all the expeditions as well 
as in the attack on Yera Cruz. 

" ' Secondly. Not being allowed to join the expedition 
against Tabasco, when other vessels had arrived from the United 
States which could have reheved me as well as the Decatur, 
whose Captain was unable to leave his own ship. 

" ' Thirdly. When the fever broke out on the Decatur at 
Tuxpan, I was sent immediately to relieve her, and she was 
sent to Pensacola, where her sick could have the advantage of 
a hospital ; whereas, under the same circumstances, when I noti- 
fied the Commodore I had fifty cases, my letters were unnoticed, 
I was ordered to perform duties, blockading and running along 
the coast, compelled to put to sea in gales, and kept on the 
blockade for two months after the fever had broken out, and 
treated as if nothing had occurred on board the vessel. 



CONTROVERSY WITH COMMODORE PERRY. 163 

" ' Lastly. The ungenerous attempt to injure me in the esti- 
mation of the Department by his letter of the 15th of August, 
1847, relative to the landing of General Parades, by intimating 
that I had neglected my duty in not boarding the British 
steamer Teviot, whereas he was perfectly aware that I arrived 
at Yera Craz after sunset the night before, the steamer ar- 
rived at six o'clock the next morning, and it had never been 
considered the duty of the vessels of war to interfere with 
the port regulations of Yera Cruz by boarding the British 
steamer after it was taken possession of by the army, and that 
my orders were simply to tender my services to the Governor, 
which I did. Governor Wilson will bear testimony to the fact 
that I not only offered him my services on all occasions, but 
that the utmost good feeling and personal friendship always 
existed between us. Commodore Perry, in a conversation with 
me in the presence of Colonel Wilson, remarked that " I might 
have boarded the steamer," to which I replied that " I did not 
consider it my duty to do anything of the kind, uriless requested 
to do so by the Governor ; that they had their own boarding 
officers and port regulations, which I presumed answered all 
their purposes ; but that since the Governor had been compelled 
to displace the boarding officer, he had requested me to have all 
vessels boarded, as he had no competent person to perform the 
duty, and since then I had given it my strict attention " ; to 
which the Commodore replied that he would issue a circular to 
that effect, which he did. 

" ' Now, sir, had Yera Cruz been under our authority, I 
should have considered it my duty to board aU vessels entering 
the port ; but, as it was in charge of the army, I felt it my duty 
to avoid everything that might be construed into an interference 
with the military prerogative. I was soon after ordered to 
Tuxpan, and in the course of a month had the mortification to 
see it going the rounds in the newspapers that I had been repri- 
manded by Commodore Perry for neglect of duty in permitting 
General Parades to enter Yera Cruz. I now have the still 
greater mortification to see among the letters published in the 
" Union," in obedience to a call from Congress, that Commo- 



164 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

dore Perry lias actually tried to make the same impression on 
the Navy Department. How far he succeeded, I know not; 
but I feel well assured that I shall stand acquitted when the 
circumstances are made known. I recur to these circumstances 
for the purpose of showing the Honorable Secretary that my 
impression of prejudice is not without cause, or my complaint 
without justice. 

" ' I have the honor to be your most obedient servant, 

" ' D. G. Faekagtjt. 

" ' To Hon. John Y. Ma80n, 

" ' Secretary of the Navy.' 

" On February 19, 1848, I arrived in New York, paid off 
my crew, and delivered up my ship at the Yard. I am sorry to 
say that during this cruise I was compelled to rid the service of 
a lieutenant, a midshipman, two gunners, and a sail-maker, and 
to bring my first lieutenant to a court-martial, on the very last 
day, for drunkenness. My lieutenant of marines had died while 
serving on shore at Tampico. Out of my crew of one hundred 
and fifty, a hundred had yellow fever, and I lost two of my 
best men overboard on the way home. 

" After I had delivered up the Saratoga, I was appointed to 
be second in command again at the Norfolk Navy-yard ; which 
proved to me at least one fact — that I had lost nothing of the 
good opinion of the Secretary, Mr. Mason. 

" There I passed two years in the usual routine of duty, 
occasionally serving on a court-martial. I had a severe attack 
of cholera, and the surgeon of the Yard, Dr. Blacknall, gave 
me up ; but I recovered, and went to "White Sulphur Springs, 
where I remained two or three months. 

" In October, 1850, I was ordered to Washington, to draw 
up a book of ordnance regulations for the Navy, in connection 
with Commander T. A. Dornin, and Lieutenants Barron, A. H. 
Harwood, and Fairfax. It occupied us nearly a year, when the 
chief of the bureau, Commodore Warrington, died, and we were 
called on for revisions by the new chief. Commodore Morris. 
This employed us nearly six months longer, and finally many 



EETURN TO NORFOLK NAVY-YARD. 165 

of the best features of our work were overruled and stricken 
out ; as were also the drawings, which we considered fine illus- 
trations. 

" During those eighteen months I attended regularly the 
lectures at the Smithsonian Institution, losing but a single one, 
and I can record my feeble testimony as to the benefit of Mr. 
Smithson's legacy. You will rarely come away from such lec- 
tures without being somewhat wiser than you went. 

" "When the ordnance book was finished, I was ordered to 
the Korfolk Navy-yard as ordnance officer, and was directed to 
give the officers there a weekly lecture on gunnery. 

" In the summer of 1852 I was ordered to Old Point Com- 
fort, to test all the different classes of guns in the Navy, by 
bursting one or two of each class with a series of fires. The 
object was to satisfy the Government and the founders on the 
question whether the tensile strength of the iron is a test of the 
endurance of the gun. I was employed on this most interest- 
ing duty nearly a year, and gave the results in a pamphlet 
published by the bureau, in which many preconceived opinions 
of the service were entirely overturned. After concluding 
these experiments, I returned to the Navy-yard, and resumed 
my lectures." 

Lieutenant Percival Drayton was associated with Farragut 
in the ordnance experiments, and an intimacy was then formed 
with that accomplished gentleman and gallant officer which 
lasted for the remainder of their Hves. The pamphlet alluded 
to, like everything else which does not originate and end in 
Washington, was soon allowed to go out of use. It was not, 
indeed, a work of any pretension, but it contained facts which 
are always important in the profession, and many of which were 
unknown before. The book of ordnance regulations was highly 
commended by officers of other navies than our own. " But 
where is it now ? " asked FaiTagut at a later day. " God only 
knows ! For those who had the power called a new board ten 
years after, and made a few necessary changes to suit the intro- 
duction of steam and heavy guns, and the names of the original 



166 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

board were obliterated, while the result of their labor probably 
stands to-day as the work of some other individuals. I do not 
care for the praise that such a volume might win ; but I despise 
the spirit that prompts those who have a little temporary power 
about the seat of government to purloin the credit due to 
others." 

"When the Crimean war broke out, Farragut applied for 
orders to go thither as a professional observer, in the following 
letter to the Secretary of the JN^avy : 

Norfolk, Vieginia, April IS, 1854. 

" Sir ; As I informed you in my interview with you on the 
6th inst., I am most desirous of visiting the fleets of England 
and France in the Baltic or the Mediterranean, with a view to 
ascertaining whether in the outfits and preparations for war they 
possess any advantages over our ships of war, and if so, in what 
they consist. 

" It is with great diffidence that I approach the Department 
with such a request ; but I am satisfied that though there may 
be some, there are few who feel the same interest in such mat- 
ters as myseK, and I perhaps flatter myself in supposing that 
there are few who would enter into the work so cordially, and 
of those few none may possess the advantage which my long 
service would give me; in addition to this, I speak French, 
Spanish, and Italian. 

" I am aware that I am asking a great deal of the Depart- 
ment ; but as I have been in the service since I was nine years 
of age, I feel that my name and character are equally well 
known to the Department and the Navy ; upon which I most 
respectfully rely for your favorable consideration of my request 
to be attached to any commission that may be sent for the above- 
named purposes, or to be appointed to any command destined 
for the seat of war. 

" I am, sir, very respectfully yours, 

" D. G. Farragut. 

" To Hon. James C. Dobbin, 

*' Secretary of the Navy." 



ASKS TO BE SENT TO THE CRIMEA. 167 

No action was taken by the Navy Department on this sug- 
gestion of Farragut's, but he was shortly after assigned the im- 
portant duty of foimding a Navy-yard on the Pacific coast. 

" Navy Depaetment, Washington, D. C, 
''April 15, 1854. 

" Sm : Your letter of the 12th inst. has been received, and 
the suggestions contained therein will receive careful considera- 
tion. The Department, however, has not determined upon the 
course to pursue in the matter referred to. 
" Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" J. C. Dobbin, 
" Secretary of the Navy. 
" To Commander D. G. Fabeagut, 
" Norfolk, Virginia." 



CHAPTEK XYI. 

SEEVICE m CALIFORNIA — THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE CEUI8E OF 

THE BROOKLYN PECULIAR SEEVICE IN MEXICO. 

The Government, being desirous of establisliing a navy-yard 
on tlie Pacific coast, sent a commission of three naval officers to 
select a site. Tliey decided upon Mare Island, opposite Yallejo, 
California. This island is in San Pablo Bay, about thirty miles 
by the inland route from San Francisco, and is three miles in 
length and haK a mile in breadth. It is almost a peninsula, 
being connected with the mainland by an immense marsh, or 
" tule," which is interspersed with ponds and streams that ren- 
der it impassable. 

In August, 1854, FaiTagut was ordered to repair to this 
place and begin the work of establishing the Navy-yard. He 
took passage with his family in the Star of the West, the vessel 
which afterward figured so conspicuously in the early operations 
of the civil war. 

As there were no arrangements for the accommodation of 
officers on the island, the Government placed the old sloop-of- 
war Warren at their disposal, so she was taken up the bay and 
moored opposite the Yard. Farragut lived on board, with his 
family, seven months, until temporary buildings could be put 
up. The work of the Yard was soon begun in earnest. The 
quiet little town of Yallejo, which consisted of a few scattered 
houses, and had at one time been the capital of the State and 
boasted a State house, soon began to show signs of renewed 
life. Workmen were attracted to the place, and, as they were 
not allowed to live on the island, the scene was quite animated, 
with a " mosquito fleet " of boats spread over the wide expanse 
of the strait, plying backward and forward, morning and even- 
ing. The town also began to increase in size, and real estate 



THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. 169 

speculations were the order of the day. Farragut did not lose 
the opportunity to invest his savings in " town lots," which have 
since proved of some benefit to his family. 

The four years passed on this station were of great advantage 
to his health, which was not at all good when he arrived on the 
coast of California. He had passed much of his life in tropical 
countries, and had suffered so severely from yellow fever and 
cholera that he was obliged to be very careful in his diet ; but 
the exhilarating exercise on horseback which he took almost 
daily, with the delightful cKmate, soon began to show good 
effects upon him. 

He saw the importance of a navy-yard on the Pacific coast 
of the United States, and labored earnestly to get the Mare 
Island Yard in as efiicient a state as possible, so that in the 
event of war with any foreign power it would be ready to re- 
pair and supply our cruisers. He reserved the ornamental work 
until everything of importance had been accomplished. The 
large blacksmith shop, the first permanent building erected, is a 
monument to his energy in carrying out this policy. 

JSTothing worthy of particular notice occurred during his 
four years' service in California, outside of his regular and ardu- 
ous duties at Mare Island, except in connection with the forma- 
tion of the " Yigilance Committee of '56," an organization with 
which Farragut felt some sympathy at first, in consequence of 
the outrages perpetrated by the desperate and lawless characters 
who infested San Francisco. While he could not but admire 
the executive ability displayed by the leaders of the Committee, 
he was not officially called on to approve or disapprove the 
means employed by the citizens to rid themselves of the evils 
under which they suffered. The only instances in which his 
interference was invoked, and the course which he thought 
proper to adopt under the circumstances, are explained by the 
following extracts from a letter addressed to his son by a gentle- 
man who had close official relations with Captain Farragut at 
the time, and who enjoyed every opportunity of knowing the 
facts, as well as of understanding his sentiments on the occa- 
sion: 



170 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

" During the exciting times of the Vigilance Committee in 
San Francisco, when many personal friends on either side were 
endeavoring to influence his partial action, his position was in- 
deed trying, and no one, remote from the times, scenes, and 
influences, can imagine the delicacy and temptations of his posi- 
tion, or the firmness and moderation it required. 'No personal 
sympathy could bias his official judgment, or influence his 
action. In reply to the Governor of the State, who applied for 
aid to suppress the insurrection, he referred him to that article 
in the Constitution of the United States which requires, first, 
the assembling of the Legislature in such an event, if possible, 
and, if not, and the danger be too imminent, the appeal of the 
Governor to the President of the United States, by whose 
authority and orders alone he (your father) could act. There 
was no telegraph to the Pacific coast in those days, and it re- 
quired six or eight weeks for intercommunication. But had he 
assumed the responsibility, and sided with one or the other of 
the highly inflamed parties, he might have precipitated the 
State into civil war, or greatly aggravated the existing troubles. 
So he refused to interfere, although I know he had most decided 
convictions with reference to the unlawful outrages incident to 
that period of great excitement. He confined himself, however, 
to the strict letter of his duty, and did not in any way interfere 
until the imprisonment, by the Vigilance Committee, of the 
Navy Agent at San Francisco, Dr. K. P. Ashe, when a letter 
of demand for his release was forwarded to Commander Bout- 
well, then in command of the John Adams, which had been 
sent to take a position off the city in case of emergency, with 
instructions to enforce it. Fortunately, the Committee sent the 
Navy Agent on board the ship before the order was communi- 
cated, and thus a crisis was avoided. What the result might 
otherwise have been, it is difficult to conjecture. It is hardly 
necessary to state the extent of the authority given to Boutwell 
in his orders, but he was firmly instructed to protect Government 
property, and military, naval, and judicial officers of the United 
States, in their respective duties ; beyond that not to go, nor com- 
promise the United States Government with either party. . . . 



THE YIGILANOE COMMITTEE. lYl 

" I need not recall to your mind tlie remarkable manner in 
whicli your father blended dignity of personal and official char- 
acter with perfect accessibility. The poorest laborer could ap- 
proach him with any complaint or grievance, without awe or 
inferiority of manhood, and feel that he would receive equal 
and exact justice without respect to person. Your father in- 
spired and preserved the confidence, respect, and esteem of all 
his subordinates. His large and generous hospitality, and his 
simple, genial, and inspiring manners quickly removed all con- 
ventional barriers to social enjoyment, and with such a host no 
guest could help feeling at home. 

" In his official life he knew but one motive — duty. Well 
do I remember when his three years' command of the Navy- 
yard at Mare Island had expired, which, by the custom of the 
Kavy Department, should be succeeded by an equal term of sea 
duty. The Department, fully satisfied with the work he had 
accomplished, and at a loss for a competent successor, informed 
him that, if he would indicate a preference to remain, he would 
be continued for another term. His answer, as nearly as I can 
recall his exact words, was : ' I have no volition in the matter ; 
your duty is to give me orders, mine to obey. Other officers 
have rights and privileges, wath which I do not feel disposed to 
interfere. I will await my right and turn to a command, or 
remain in command here, as you may be pleased to direct.' 

" Knowing, as I did, that it would be personally agreeable, 
and in many respects convenient for him to remain at the Yard 
to complete some of the principal works which he had begun, 
and in which he felt a just pride and interest, I suggested a 
slight modification of his language, leaving an implication of his 
preference. 

" ' No,' said he, ' it may be used hereafter to deprive me of 
my right to command a squadron, which has been the ambition 
of my naval Hfe. Let the Department make what it can of my 
reply, and give me orders. I shall not then compromise any of 
my rights to a command. I have never shirked any duty what- 
ever in my life, and, God helping me, I never shall. I have 
made it the rule of my life to ask no official favors, but to await 
12 



172 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

orders and then obey them. Sucli is an officer's duty and his 
best policy.' This was strikingly characteristic of the man — 
strict devotion to duty." 

Farragut's attitude toward the Vigilance Committee is more 
particularly shown by the following letters, taken from the 
records of the 'Nslyj Department : 

"N"avt-Yaed, Make Island, California, June SO, 1856. 

" Sm : The John Adams, Commander E. B. Boutwell, ar- 
rived at San Francisco on the 22d ult., from the Sandwich 
Islands. 

" San Francisco has been in a very unsettled state for some 
weeks past, in consequence of the killing of the editor of the 
' Evening Bulletin,' James King of William. A large number 
of the citizens banded together, and assumed the command of 
the city, took Casey, who shot King, and a man by the name of 
Cora, who, a short time since, shot the marshal of the State, 
Eichardson, and hung them both together. Everything has 
been done with perfect organization and deliberation, and the 
regularly constituted authorities of the city or State have not 
been able to interfere, or prevent any of the movements of the 
Yigilance Committee. 

" Since the hanging the Committee have been busy in caus- 
ing the arrest of certain notorious characters, whom they charge 
with the habitual stuffing of ballot-boxes and controlling elec- 
tions by force, and have determined to send them out of the 
country. They have several such characters now in confine- 
ment, ready to send by the next steamer to the East. One of 
them, apprehending that it might be their intention to hang 
them, committed suicide. This was the notorious prize-fighter, 
Yankee Sullivan. 

" About this stage of affairs. Governor Johnson called on me 
for assistance to sustain the authorities of the State ; but of 
course I declined any interference in the matter, as I had 
neither the authority nor the requisite force for any such pur- 
poses ; and, besides, I told the Governor that Captain Boutwell 



THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. 1Y3 

was the best judge of his own responsibilities. Captain Bout- 
well declined all interference in the matter. I fear it may yet 
end in an outbreak, and a violent struggle, and may cause blood- 
shed among the better portion of the community ; but all as yet 
is quiet. 

" The John Adams is being docked, and undergoing some 
slight repairs, principally on her sails ; she will be able to sail iu 
about ten days. 

" We have heard nothing from Puget Sound lately, or Com- 
modore Mervine ; but I believe the war in the Sound is about 
drawing to a close. 

" I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

"D. G. Fakkagut, Commandant. 
"Hon. J. C. Dobbin, 

" Secretary of the Navy." 

"Navy-Yaed, Make Island, July 2, 1856. 

" Sm : I had the honor of addressing you by the last mail, 
on the subject of the revolutionary movement in this country. 
You will now perceive, by the journals of the day, that the 
Yigilance Committee claim it to be successful revolution, inas- 
much as they have completely overpowered the Law-and-Order 
party, taken the few arms they had from them, and paroled the 
captured soldiers of the State, with the exception of our old 
naval storekeeper Maloney, and Judge Terry, of the Supreme 
Court. Although you have, no doubt, seen the various accounts 
in the papers, I deem it my duty to give you my account as a 
disinterested looker-on ; for the community is in such a state of 
excitement that no one appears to see but one side of the affair. 
Every one feels that we are on a volcano, and is mentally feel- 
ing for the first sensation of explosion. 

"After the Governor had issued his proclamation, calling 
out the militia, and failed to obtain arms for them from General 
"Wool, as he supposed he would. General [W. T.] Sherman 
resigned the command of the State forces, and General Howard 
was appointed his successor. He attempted to organize the 
State forces in the city of San Francisco, where the Vigilantes 
had six thousand men under arms, with artillery, and the most 



174 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

perfect system of espionage. The General's next movement 
was to procure a few stand of arms from General Wool, whicli 
were due the State by annual distribution. They were delivered 
to one of General Howard's men, Maloney, who was on his 
way to San Francisco from Benicia, in a sail-vessel, when it was 
boarded at 2 a. m., and the arms were taken to the Yigilance 
Committee rooms. 

" Maloney and his party were released ; but a short time 
afterward, upon reflection, the Committee determined to re- 
arrest Maloney, for reasons best known to themselves, and sent 
a police-guard from their own forces after him. By this time 
he had reached Dr. Ashe's room, where, by aj)pointment, he 
was to meet the General and make his report as to the result of 
his expedition. He was followed thither by the Yigilantes, 
who, on entering the room, requested Maloney to accompany 
them to the Yigilance Committee rooms. Maloney asked if 
they had any warrant for him, and being answered in the nega- 
tive, he declined going, and Dr. Ashe and Judge Terry, who 
were present, ordered the Yigilance police out of their room. 
They immediately went for reenforcements, and the party in 
the room set out for the armory or assembly room of the Law- 
and-Order party, intending to resist the Yigilance Committee 
in the attempt to take one of their company ; as Maloney was 
one of the militia company of Ashe's command, called into 
service by the Governor. 

" Joined by some eight or ten others while retreating toward 
the armory, they were overtaken by the Yigilance police before 
they reached the room, when Terry and Ashe faced about and 
told them to stand off. They rushed on, however, and at- 
tempted to wrest Judge Terry's gun from his hands, saying 
they would take him and his gun too. The scufile became 
fierce between the Yigilantes and Terry and Ashe, until, at last, 
a pistol was fired. Dr. Ashe and others say it was fired by one 
of the Yigilantes at Terry, while their party say it was fired by 
accident ; but it was evident that they thought it was fired at 
them. The ball passed between them. At this moment Terry 
drew his bowie knife with his left hand, and struck Hopkins, 



THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. 1Y5 

one of tlie Yigilance police, who had hold of him, on the neck, 
whereupon the police fled, and the Law-and-Order party made 
good their retreat to their armory, where, in a few minutes 
after the tap of the beU on the roof of the Yigilance Committee 
buildings, they were surrounded by three or four thousand men, 
armed with muskets, cannon, etc. 

" There were but sixteen men inside of the armory, all of 
whom were willing to die there and then ; but Judge Terry 
said No ; it was his life the Yigilantes wanted, and his friends 
should not be sacrificed for him. So they surrendered, and 
were conveyed as prisoners to the Yigilance Committee rooms. 
The next day all but Judge Terry and Maloney were released 
upon parole. 

" Commander Boutwell, as soon as he heard that Dr. Ashe 
was confined, wrote a letter to the Committee, and he was 
released upon parole. 

" These are the facts, as far as I have been able to learn 
them from the most disinterested persons. 

" The Yigilance Committee claim that, if Hopkins dies, 
Judge Terry shall be hung, as guilty of murder ; and as Judge 
Terry's friends are very numerous, and are generally warm- 
hearted, impulsive men, if this man Hopkins dies, and Terry be 
hung, there is no predicting the result. They are now smother- 
ing their feeling for the purpose of endeavoring to save Judge 
Terry's life ; for on the first hostile movement they will take 
his life. It is so understood. There is very little doubt that 
the Committee are anxious that Hopkins may live, and that they 
regret the whole affair ; for, up to the time of Terry's arrest, 
the Committee were sanctioned by an overwhelming majority. 
I think they are aware they have caused a division in public 
opinion, and people are beginning to come to their sober senses, 
and will not be willing to be longer governed by they know not 
whom. 

" I. have been in revolutionary countries, and I could always 
find some one in authority ; but here, although they are in cor- 
respondence with me, I know no one except the bearers of their 
letters, and should have thought them to be mere messengers, 



176 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

had they not told me they were members of the Executive 
Committee. Therefore, in my replies, I addressed my letters 
to them, and not to ' ]^o. 33, Secretary,' whom I did not know. 

" There is a great effort, on both sides, to mix ns up in these 
matters ; but, as I know the tenderness with which the general 
Government touches the subject, I have told them that I shall 
do nothing without orders. But my views on the subject will 
be sufficiently explained by my letters to Commander Boutwell, 
and Messrs. Farwell and Case of the Executive Committee, 
without troubling you with a repetition of them. . . . 

" All of which is respectfully submitted for your considera- 
tion, with the hope that my course in the affair will meet with 
your approbation. 

" I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



" Hon. J. 0. Dobbin, 
"Secretary of the Navy." 



" D. G. Fajbkagut, Commandant. 



" U. S. Ship John Adams, off San Fkanoisoo, Califoenia, 
''June 28, 1856. 
" To the Executive Committee of Yigilanoe, 

" Gentlemen : You are either in open rebellion against the 
laws of your country, and in a state of war, or you are an asso- 
ciation of American citizens combined together for the purpose 
of redressing an evil, real or imaginary, under a suspension of 
the laws of California, 

" If you occuj)y the position assigned to you by Judge 
Shattuck, one of your ablest judges (and one who sympathizes 
with those who wish to reform abuses under the law), I, as an 
officer of the United States, request that you will deal with 
Judge Terry as a prisoner of war, and place him on board my 
ship. 

" But if you desire to occupy the position of a party of citi- 
zens, acting under a suspension of, or against, the law of Cali- 
fornia, you will, I think, on reflection, and from a desire to 
conform to the requirements of the Constitution of your country, 
from a due regard to justice, and, above all, from a desire to 
avoid the shedding of American blood by American citizens 



THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. 177 

upon American soil, surrender Judge Terry to the lawful 
authorities of the State. 

" You, gentlemen, I doubt not, are familiar with the case 
of Koszta. If the action of Captain Ingraham in interfering to 
save the Kfe of Koszta (who was not then an American citizen)* 
met the approbation of his country, how much the more neces- 
sary is it for me to use all the power at my command to save 
the life of a native-born American citizen, whose only offense 
is believed to be in his efforts to carry out the law, obey the 
Governor's proclamation, and defend his own life. 

" The attack of one of the policemen of the Vigilance Com- 
mittee, who perhaps would have killed the Judge if the Judge 
had not wounded his adversary, was clearly without the sanction 
of the law. Gentlemen of the Committee, pause and reflect 
before you condemn to death, in secret, an American citizen, 
who is entitled to a public and impartial trial by a judge and 
jury recognized by the laws of his country. 

" I trust you will appreciate my motives, and consider my 
position. I most earnestly pray that some arrangement may be 
effected by which peace and quietude may be restored to this 
excited community. 

" I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient 
servant, 

" E. B. BouTWELL, Commander." 

"ExEormvE Committee Chambers, Committee of Vigilanob, 
" San Feanoisoo, June 29^ 1856. 
" To Captain David G. Faebagut, U. S. Navy, 
" SiK : We take the liberty of inclosing herewith a copy of 
a letter received this day from Commander Boutwell, of the 
United States ship John Adams, also a copy of a reply. 

" Owing to the extraordinary logic and menacing tone of 
Commander Boutwell's communication, we deem it advisable to 

* In July, 1853, D. N. Ingraham, commanding the United States sloop-of-war St. 
Louis, in the Mediterranean, protected Martin Koszta, a Hungarian who had taken 
the preliminary steps for becoming a citizen of the United States, against arrest by 
the Austrian Consul at Smyrna. Commander Ingraham's conduct was approved by 
the Government, and Congress voted him a medal. 



1Y8 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. 

submit it to his superior's notice, for whom we entertain the 
highest regard and esteem. 

(" Under seal of the Committee,) 

" 33, Seceetaky." 

" N^avy-Yaed, Make Island, July 1, 1856. 

" Gentlemen : I have perused with great attention the cor- 
respondence between the Committee of Vigilance and Com- 
mander Boutwell, and although I concur with the Commander 
in many important facts in the case, stiU I conceive it to be my 
duty to avert, as far as possible, the evils now hovering over this 
highly excited community. And although I believe Commander 
Boutwell to be actuated by the same motive, he has perhaps 
taken a different mode of attaining this end. I perfectly agree 
with him that the release or trial of Judge Terry, in accordance 
with the Constitution of the United States, would be the readi- 
est mode of attaining the great object we all have in view. 
That instrument, in Article 5th of the Amended Constitution, 
says : ' JSTo person shall be held to answer for a capital or other- 
wise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of 
a grand jury [except in a military service], nor shall he be com- 
pelled, in any criminal case, to be a witness against himself, nor 
be deprived of Hfe, liberty, or property, without due process of 
law.' Further, in Article 6th, ' in all criminal prosecutions, the 
accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial by an 
impartial jury of the State ; to be confronted with the witnesses 
against him ; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses 
in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.' 

" Now, as I understand the organization of the Vigilance 
Committee, through the medium of the public prints, etc., none 
of these requirements are complied with. The society is secret, 
and all its acts are conducted with secrecy ; and, were it not that 
I had the honor of receiving the documents referred to above 
from your hands, I should know no one in this correspondence 
but ' JSTo. 33, Secretary.' Article 4th (section 4) of the Consti- 
tution provides that ' the United States shall guarantee to each 
State a republican form of government, and on application of 



THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. 1^9 

the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature can 
not be convened), shall protect each of them against domestic 
violence.' 

" The last is the grave and momentous question which is 
truly embarrassing to the officers' of the general Government, 
so far removed from the seat of government, and one which 
every officer must decide for himself, according to his sense of 
duty to his God and his country. But you may be assured, 
gentlemen, that I shall always be ready to pour oil on the 
troubled waters, rather than do aught to fan the flame of human 
passions, or add to the chances of the horrors of civil war. 

" You will please inform the Committee that I shall address 
Commander Boutwell on the subject to-day, by the same con- 
veyance that carries this communication to you. 

" I am, gentlemen, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Fareagut, 
" Commandant of Mare Island Kavy-yard. 

" To Messrs. Faewell and Case, 

" Of the Committee of Vigilance, 

" San Francisco, California." 

" Navt-Yaed, Maee Island, July i, 1856. 

" Sir : I yesterday received a communication from the Vigi- 
lance Committee, inclosing a correspondence between yourself 
and the Committee, in relation to the release of Judge D. S. 
Terry, and requesting my interposition. Although I agree with 
you in the opinions expressed, in relation to the constitutional 
points, I can not agree that you have any right to interfere in 
this matter, and I so understood you when we parted. The 
Constitution requires, before any interference on the part of the 
general Government, that the Legislature shall be convened, if 
possible, and, if it can not be convened, then the application of 
the Executive. I have seen no reason why the Legislature could 
not have been convened long since, yet it has not been done, 
nor has the Governor taken any steps, that I know of, to call it 
together. 

" In all cases within my knowledge, the Government of the 
United States has been very careful not to interfere with the 



180 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

domestic troubles of the States, when they were strictly domes- 
tic and no collision was made with the laws of the United States, 
and has always been studious of avoiding, as much as possible, 
collision with State rights principles. 

" The commentators Kent and Story agree that the fact of 
the reference to the President, by the Legislature or Executive 
of the State, was the great guarantee of State rights. I feel no 
disposition to interfere with your command ; but, so long as you 
are within the waters of my command, it becomes my duty to 
restrain you from doing anything to augment the very great 
excitement in this distracted community, until we receive in- 
structions from the Government. All the facts of the case have 
been fully set forth before the Government by both parties, and 
we must patiently await the result. 

" I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Fakkagut, Commandant. 
" Commander E, B. Botjtweli,, . 

" Commanding United States Ship John Adams, 
" Off San Francisco, Cal." 

" United States Ship John Adams, off San Feanoisco, Cal., 
July 2, 1856. 

" My deae Sm : I have received your letter of the 1st inst., 
and, as I do not wish to ' augment the very great excitement in 
this distressed community ' by my presence, I shall go to sea as 
soon as possible. I think it due to myself, however, to state 
that I considered my ship, after I left the N^avy-yard on Mare 
Island, to be under the command of Commodore Mervine, or I 
should have consulted you in regard to the action I took to ob- 
tain the release of Judge Terry, and therefore did not mean to 
treat you with any disrespect. Indeed, I would have done so 
anyhow, if it had been convenient. 

" It is true that we concurred at one time in the opinion 
that we ought to wait for orders from Washington, before taking 
any part in the San Francisco troubles ; but the fact of your hav- 
ing consented to serve on a Committee to settle the controversy 
between the State authorities of California and the Vigilance 
Committee, induced me to believe that your opinion on the sub- 



THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. 181 

ject had undergone a change. In regard to the interference of 
the Federal officers, I am unable to discover any difference, as 
far as the doctrine of State rights is concerned, between the 
position of the commander of the Navy-yard at Mare Island, 
who acts, or consents to act, as a commissioner to settle the terms 
of peace, and the commander of the John Adams who writes a 
letter to the Committee of Yigilance, asking that the life of an 
American citizen may not be taken in haste, and that he may be 
dealt with according to the laws of his country. 

" I am a State rights man myseK, and therefore do not be- 
lieve that it is any part of the creed to overturn the laws of the 
State, hang men without trial by jury, and imprison a judge of 
the Supreme Court. 

" Independent of all this, they (the Committee) have inter- 
fered with the Federal Government in arresting the l^avy Agent 
of this port without legal authority, and in violation of the dear- 
est rights guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States 
to every American citizen. 

" In conclusion, sir, I must inform you that I have been 
applied to by the Governor of the State, Judge Terry, the pris- 
oner himself, the Collector of the Port, and the United States 
Marshal of this district, and appealed to by the distressed wife 
of the Judge, to interfere in this unhappy controversy between 
a portion of the people of San Francisco on the one side and 
the State on the other ; and what I have done has been dictated 
by humanity and a conscientious discharge of my duty, and I 
am prepared to meet the consequences. 

" I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" E. B. BouTWELL, Commander. 
" To Captain D. G. Faeragxtt, 
" Commanding United States Navy-yard, 
" Mare Island, California." 

" Navt-Yaed, Make Island, July S, 1856. 

"Snt: I have received your letter of this day's date, and 

regret to see the spirit of it, inasmuch as we are all desirous of 

attaining the same end, and only differ as to the mode of doing 

it. I think it becomes us to be temperate, and there was 



182 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

nothing in my letter calculated to convey any other feeling to 
you. I knew that when we parted you entertained the same 
ideas as myself in relation to our duties as Government officers, 
and I felt no disposition to interfere with your command, and 
should not have done so, had you not written a letter to the 
Committee which induced them to think that it was your in- 
tention to fire on the city. Now, independent of the call of 
humanity in behalf of the many innocent persons who would 
be thus exposed, I think it would be the most certain inhu- 
manity to Judge Terry, whose life, I think, would pay the 
forfeit at the very first gun. 

" It is not with your usual coolness and clearness of vision 
that you say (in substance) that you see no difference between 
my consenting to be on a committee on the part of the State 
Government to endeavor to bring about an amicable arrange- 
ment of these difficulties and your writing a letter to the Com- 
mittee of Vigilance asking that the life of an American citizen 
may be spared, etc. You forget that the same letter also con- 
tains this paragraph: 'If the action of Captain Ingraham in 
interfering to save the life of Koszta (who was not then an 
American citizen) met the approbation of his country, how 
much more necessary is it for me to use aU the power at my 
command to save the life of a native bom American citizen,' etc. 
This was very plainly indicating that you would use ' all the 
power at your command,' and it was so understood by the Com- 
mittee, and they therefore asked my interposition for humanity's 
sake to that portion of the community who are not parties in 
this melancholy affair. 

" Why you should think my willingness to act as a peace- 
making agent (which I, of course, would have done as an indi- 
vidual, and not as the Commandant of Mare Island, and could 
in no wise have implicated the United States Government) was 
an evidence of any change in my opinion as to non-interference 
officially, I am unable to understand. 

" You knew my willingness, at the time we were together, 
to act if I was called on ; but I never was called on, and conse- 
quently did not act, which I only regret the more as I am still 



THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. 183 

under the impression that Judge Terry is to be liberated by 
peaceable, not forcible means. I may be wrong, but I feel weU 
assured of the fact that you nor any other person in that com- 
munity is more anxious to save the life of Judge Terry or serve 
him than I am ; we only difEer as to the means to be resorted to. 

" I received a deputation and a letter from the Executive 
Committee, and I have every assurance of their desire to put an 
end to this unhappy state of affairs, and since I have addi*essed 
them by name, and told them I did not know ' No. 33,' I have 
received a very polite note from their President, Mr. Coleman. 
So, now we have persons to deal with, we are the more likely to 
accomplish some good end. 

" As to that portion of your letter in which you speak of 
being in your opinion without the jurisdiction of my command, 
etc., you were, and are still, under the command of Commodore 
Mervine, and, as I before observed, I should not have interfered 
with you, but for cause. But you must be aware that you can 
not be beyond my control so long as you are within these waters. 

" It is the duty of the superior officer present to act accord- 
ing to the best judgment for the general good. He alone is 
responsible, after an appeal is made to him, and not the junior. 
That there was ever any disrespect intended by you, never en- 
tered my mind. That you are besought by the Government 
party to blow the town down, I am well aware. But that we 
should act in our public capacity with unbiased judgment, is 
only called for the louder. The people on both sides are vio- 
lent, and it therefore becomes us to be cool and temperate. As 
to your responsibilities in this case, alluded to in yom* letter, you 
shall have the full credit to which they may entitle you ; the 
correspondence shall be forwarded by the next mail to the !N^avy 
Department. 

" Tour course may be more approved than mine. If so, be 
assured my eye will not be evil because you have proved to be 
right. 

" Yery respectfully, yours, 

" D. G. Fakkagut, Commandant. 

*' To Commander E. B. Boxjtwell." 



184: THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" iSTAVT-YAED, Maee Island, July 3, 1836. 
" Sm : As, on tlie reporting of Lieutenant Corbin for duty, 
you will liave one more than the complement of officers allowed 
you by the Department, and there will then exist no good reason 
for detaining Lieutenant Haxtun, you will, therefore, direct that 
officer to take passage (in the Oregon steamer) for Fort Yan- 
couver, and thence proceed by land to Seattle, in Washington 
Territory ; on his arrival at that place to report to Commander 
Swartwout, in compliance with his original instructions, received 
from the Hon. Secretary of the Navy, You will not sail until 
these arrangements are made, nor until further orders from me, 
as your presence may be necessary in the harbor. 

" You will receive on board Judge D. S. Terry, for his per- 
sonal safety, should any arrangement be accomplished to that 
end. 

" I am, very respectfully, etc., 

"D. G. Faukagut, Commandant. 
" To Commander E. B. Boutwell, 

" Commanding U. S. Ship John Adams, 
" Off San Francisco, California." 

*' Navy-Yaed, Maee Island, Oalifoenia, July 17, 1856. 

" Sm : I have to inform the Department that no change has 
taken place in the domestic relations of San Francisco since my 
last communication. The city is under strict military rule ; and 
as the Law-and-Order or Government party are without arms or 
organization, they are unable to resist the grossest outrages and 
excesses committed by the Yigilance party. At a mass meeting 
held on Saturday evening (the 12th inst.), when it was difficult 
to decide, on the passage of certain resolutions, which (the ayes 
or nays) had the majority, the Yigilance Committee (so Mr. 
Turner states, who was present) made a number of arrests of 
Law-and-Order men, and sent them to prison, by way of keep- 
ing order. This procedure overawed the rest of them, and the 
resolutions, demanding the resignation of the city and county 
officials, were carried in the affirmative by the Yigilance party. 

" Judge Terry is still in confinement, undergoing his trial 



THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. 185 

by the Yigilance court. They say it will probably be brought 
to a close in the course of a week. 

" I have detained the John Adams until I see the result. I 
shall have the Decatur and "Warren on hand for such purposes 
as the Department may see fit to use them for. 

" I will also write to Commander Swartwout to-day, to send 
the John Hancock down to me, as she would be absolutely 
necessary to the faithful carrying out of any system of coer- 
cion that the Government may see fit to adopt. I hope I 
need not say that the Department may depend upon my dis- 
cretion to avoid all difficulty, and my energy in carrying out 
the views of the Department when the time for action shall 
arrive. 

" I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 



" Hon. J. C. Dobbin, 
" Secretary of the Navy." 



" D. G. Fakkagut, Commandant. 



" Natt-Yaed, Maee Island, Califoenia, August, 1856. 

" Sm : Since my last communication much of interest has 
transpired in San Francisco, which I shall endeavor to give you 
an account of, nearly as it occurred. 

" On the 20th day of July I received a note from Judge 
McAllister, of the Circuit Court of the United States, request- 
ing an interview with me, and, at the same time, a message from 
Dr. Gwin that he, the Judge, the sub-Treasurer, and the Super- 
intendent of the Branch Mint in San Francisco, would await 
my arrival until a late hour that night, to consult as to the safety 
of the funds, papers, etc., of the United States. I could not go 
down that night, as it was late, calm, and foggy, but went down 
in the morning at an early hour. 

" On my arrival I found that the sub-Treasurer had con- 
cluded that he could not agree to putting the funds in his pos- 
session, four million dollars in gold, on board of the John Adams 
for security, unless I would demand it of him, and then he 
would cover his responsibility by a protest. So there was no 
necessity for my seeing him personally, as Dr. Gwin informed 



186 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

me that such was his (the sub-Treasurer's) idea of the require- 
ment of the law under which he acted. 

" I had all the necessary arrangements made for conveying 
the money to Mare Island for safety, and the ships ready to 
protect it. I had the Decatur's and Warren's batteries in good 
order, with plenty of ammunition for such an occasion, as it 
would only be the mob that would wish to take the funds, and 
they would, in all probability, be without organization. Judge 
McAllister desired to know of me whether, should it become 
necessary, in his official capacity, to issue a writ of habeas corpus 
for the person of Judge Terry, I would give the United States 
Marshal the necessary assistance on the water to prevent the 
abduction of Judge Terry from the harbor of San Francisco by 
the associated mobites styling themselves a Yigilance Com- 
mittee. I told the Judge that, if he could make it clear to me 
that he had the right to issue the writ, I would give him the 
assistance ; and that, although I was unwilling to move in this 
matter, I would support the Constitution and laws of the Union 
to the extent of my power. He informed me that there are 
very large interests pending before the Supreme Court of the 
State, and that there are citizens of other States and foreigners 
who are kept out of their moneys, etc., by the confinement of 
the Judge, and they had applied to and were anxious for him 
to have him released. He also showed me the law, with his 
application of it to the present case ; whereupon, being con- 
vinced that he had the right to issue the writ, I gave Com- 
mander Boutwell orders (a copy herewith forwarded), on the 
application of the United States Marshal for assistance, under 
a writ of habeas corpus, to render him all in his power to secure 
the person of Judge Terry, and prevent, if possible, his abduc- 
tion. I also sent the schooner Fenimore Cooper down to Com- 
mander Boutwell, for the purpose of better effecting this end, 
and she is a very fast sailer. She still lies there. 

" ill all this I hope you will see that I have been actuated 
by a sense of duty to do what I thought to be best for the 
Government, and not for myself, for I hope I have no feehng 
paramount to my duty as an officer. These people have been 



THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. 187 

running riot, and setting all law and the Constitution at defiance, 
and I did not know at what moment they would seize the money 
at the Branch Mint. The history of nearly all revolutionary 
movements shows such to be the result the moment the ca/naille 
get the upper hand. 

" On Tuesday last, as you will see by the papers, the Yigi- 
lance Committee publicly executed two more men — Brace and 
Hetherington. The latter they took from the city police. 

" The moment the case of Judge Terry is disposed of — 
which, it is to be hoped, will be before the sailing of the next 
steamer — I shall allow Commander Boutwell to sail on his cruise 
to the Islands ; and, as the Indian war is nearly if not quite over, 
I have directed the return of the John Hancock to this place, 
to remain until these difficulties are over, when she can return 
to Puget Sound, or not, as Commodore Mervine may desire. 
I beg to state, however, that I have not heard from or of the 
Commodore's arrival at any port since he sailed from the Sand- 
wich Islands in February last. 

" I perceive that the Chief of the Bureau of Docks and 
Yards appears to expect his arrival at this place soon, to test 
the basin and railway. 

" I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient 
servant, 

" D. G. Fakeagut, Commandant. 
" Hon. J. 0. Dobbin, 
" Secretary of the Navy." 

" Navy- Yard, Maee Island, August 19, 1856. 
" Sm : Since my last communication, I have only to record 
the release of Judge Terry, which occurred on the Yth inst. It 
appears that he had been acquitted by the Executive Committee 
some ten days or two weeks before, but the delegates from the 
corps were unwilling to let him off, as their men cried loudly 
for his blood. But, after a stormy debate, they at length deter- 
mined to submit to the decision of the Executive Committee ; 
80 the Judge was cleared by a few majority, and set at liberty 
at two o'clock in the morning of the 7th, unconditionally. It 
13 



188 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

is thought that my preparation at the Yard of the vessels of 
war, for such service as might be required of them, was one 
great cause of his liberation, simply because they did not know 
for what purpose the vessels were got in readiness for action ; 
but the cause was, as explained to you in my last, for the pro- 
tection of the funds, provided the sub-Treasurer thought proper 
to remove them to this island for my protection. I did not 
think proper to undeceive them, and said nothing on the sub- 
ject. 

" After the Judge was liberated he went first to the house 
of a friend, where his wife was ; but, learning from some of the 
Committee that it was dangerous for him to remain in the city, 
his friends prevailed on him to go on board the John Adams, 
where he remained until the Sacramento steamer was passing, 
when he was put on board of her. It appears that the Judge's 
friends had assembled to see him off, a large number accom- 
panied him in the steamer, and a still larger number were on 
the wharf. He was received on board the steamer with cheers, 
and in passing the John Adams the steamer cheered her, which 
was returned by the John Adams and the revenue cutter. 

" It appears further, from Commander Boutwell's letter, that 
he fired a gun as a signal to his friends that the Judge had de- 
parted, so that they might know the fact without coming off to 
the ship to ascertain it. The Judge, as you wiU perceive by 
the papers, had quite a triumphal entree into Sacramento. 

" The effort now is to remove the city authorities, and elect 
such as are friendly to the "Vigilance Committee ; but I hear of 
no fm-ther excitement. The Vigilance Committee still keep up 
their military organization, and in aU probability will do so until 
they think themselves secure from the law. On the 18th they 
had a grand parade and review, and then dismissed the great 
body of their troops, and only held them bound to turn out for 
mutual support in case of necessity. 

" I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Farragut, Commandant. 
«' Hon. J, C. Dobbin, 

" Secretary of the Navy." 



THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. 189 

" Navy Department, Augtist 2, 1856. 
" Commander E. B. Botttwell, U. S. N., 

" Commanding U. S. Ship John Adams, 
" San Francisco, California. 
" Sm : I have received yom' dispatch of the 3d July, cover- 
ing a correspondence between yom-self and Captain Fan^agiit, 
and persons calKng themselves a Committee of Yigilance. The 
general spii'it and tone of your communications are approved. 
Your prompt action in the demanding the release of the !N^avy 
Agent, Dr. Ashe, was right, and evinced a commendable deter- 
mination not to allow the OflScers of the Federal Government 
to be molested. 

" The spirit manifested by you in regard to the release of 
Judge Terry was generous, and, no doubt, originated in patri- 
otic motives. You could not, however, properly have resorted 
to force in his behalf. 

" The Department can not, by this mail, notice in detail all 
the points presented in the correspondence. A communication 
this day addressed to the Commodore or senior officer at San 
Francisco discloses fully the views of the President and the 
Department as to the future. A copy will be furnished to the 
officers in command of vessels in the Pacific. 

" Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 

"J. C. DoBBm." 

" Navy Department, August 2, 1856. 
" Captain D. G. Farragut, U. S. N., 

" Commanding TJ. S. Navy- Yard, 
" Yallejo, California. 
" Sir : Your dispatch of the 2d July, covering a corre- 
spondence between yourself, Commander Boutwell, and certain 
persons styling themselves a Committee of Yigilance, has been 
received. A communication of this date, addressed to the 
Commodore or senior officer of the station, will disclose fully 
the views of the President and the Department as to the future 
course of officers in regard to the sad state of affairs in San 
Francisco. Commander Boutwell's interference in behalf of 
the Navy Agent is approved. 



190 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKEAGUT. 

" I cannot, by the present mail, reply in detail to the many 
points presented in the dispatches received. 

" Thus far the conduct of yourself and Commander Bout- 
well has been prudent, and marked by a proper spirit. 

" I trust ere this reaches you that the melancholy and inex- 
cusable state of affairs may have ceased to exist, and that law 
and order may once more prevail. 

" Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 

"J.C.Dobbin." 

" Navt-Yaed, Mare Island, September 2, 1856. 

" Sir : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your 
communication of the 2d of August, together with a letter for 
Commodore Mervine. 

"It is gratifying to me to know that the Department 
approves of my course in the past, and equally so that it has 
found no fault with Commander Boutwell ; for, although I dif- 
fered with that officer in his threat to the Vigilance Committee, 
I knew his motive was good, and we both had the same object 
in view, to procure the release of Judge Terry. But I only 
desired to avoid the horrors of civil war, the danger of which 
seemed imminent. 

" I understand that the Vigilance Committee still keep up 
their organization, but have reduced their active force, keep 
within doors of their Committee rooms, and do not make such 
external parade as heretofore ; but the men retain their arms, 
and stand ready to answer a call to arms at any moment. 
Within a few days past they have issued an order, through the 
daily papers, to Supervisor I. D. Musgrove, to leave the State 
for ever. 

" I beg again to call the attention of the Department to the 
fact that Commodore Mervine is not here, nor had we heard 
from him for six months until a few days since, when I received 
a letter from him at Valparaiso, dated July 1st. It may be 
many months before I hear from him again, and, should I send 
him the letter which ' contains the views of the President on 
the course to be pursued in future by officers,' it may not reach 



THE VIGILANCE COMMITTEE. 191 

him in six montlis more, as he will no doubt have sailed from 
Valparaiso, and his letters will await his retm-n to that port. 
There is no officer in his squadron that I have seen, who hears 
from him oftener than once in six months. 

" I therefore respectfully request that the Department will 
permit me to have its views on all matters in which I may be 
called to act ; for it will readily perceive that the Commandant 
of this Yard will be the person called upon to act in most cases, 
as the ships of the squadron generally avoid San Francisco, 
except to refit or obey orders. 

" The commanding officer of the squadron, previous to my 
arrival on the station, gave permission to the senior officer in 
this port to open his official documents in his absence, and Com- 
modore Mervine extended the privilege to me ; but, owing to the 
peculiar superscription of this last communication, I felt a deli- 
cacy upon the subject, yet, on reflection, I determined to open 
it, in order that I might act knowingly, in accordance with the 
views of the Government. 

" I confess I felt a little at loss to understand the intentions 
of the Department in using the expression ' or the senior officer 
on duty,' but in case of any necessity arising, calling for action 
or interference on the part of the Navy (which I hope may not 
occur), I shall understand it to mean me, and shall act accord- 
ingly to the best of my judgment and discretion. 

" Political parties appear to be making great efforts for the 
ascendency in San Francisco, and no doubt it wiU hinge on 
Vigilance or anti- Vigilance ; but perhaps the Presidential con- 
test will for the time absorb all the bad feelings which have 
sprung up between men and families within the last few 
months. 

" I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Fahkagtjt, Commandant. 
" Hon. J. C. Dobbin, 
" Secretary of the Navy." 

" Navy-Yabd, Maee IsLAiro, September 18, 1856. 
"Sir: Your communication of the 18th ultimo was duly 
received by the mail of yesterday. I was much gratified at the 



192 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

approval of tlie Department of my conduct in case of the John 
Hancock, etc. 

"I am happy to inform the Department that everything 
appears quiet here at present. I hear nothing of the Vigilance 
Committee, and, as the cases of Eand and Durkee have been dis- 
posed of without difficulty, I see nothing now to authorize the 
slightest apprehension of further trouble. 

" The parties are now marshaling their forces for the politi- 
cal struggle in the approaching election, which I trust will do 
much to absorb the accumulated wrath engendered by the late 
unfortunate state of affairs. Commodore Mervine, I hear, is at 
Panama. 

" The Decatur is here, nearly ready for sea. 

" I shall have up the Warren in a day or two, to test the 
basin and railway. It was contemplated to take up the Indepen- 
dence ; but as she did not arrive in time, and the contractors 
reported the basin and railway ready for testing, and the Bureau 
of Yards and Docks had directed me in such an event to take 
up the Warren, I shall do so about the 22d of the present 
month. 

" I have the honor to be, sir, very respectfully, yom- obedi- 
ent servant, 

" D. G. Farkagut, Commandant. 
" Hon. J. C. Dobbin, 
'* Secretary of the Navy." 

In July, 1858, after a residence of four years on the coast 
of California, Farragut returned to the East by way of the 
Isthmus of Panama. Soon after his arrival, he was ordered to 
take command of the Brooklyn, one of the new sloops-of-war 
built by contract. He made a trial trip in this vessel to Beau- 
fort, S. C, where he was most cordially received by the inhabi- 
tants. Few vessels of the Brooklyn's size had ever entered these 
waters, and everything was done to make the visit agreeable. 
FaiTagut's letter-book of that date contains suggestions to the 
Navy Department for various changes in regard to the rigging 
and internal arrangements of his ship ; but altogether his 



f 



CRUISE OF THE BROOKLYN. 193 

reports were very favorable, and the vessel was soon after ac- 
cepted by tbe Government and ordered to the Gulf of Mexico. 

A very unfortunate affair occurred about the middle of this 
cruise, which made a deep impression on Farragut. 

The Brooklyn was about to depart for Yera Cruz with our 
Minister, Hon. Kobert M. McLane, of Maryland, and his family, 
and it was necessary, considering our relations with Mexico at 
that time, that the ship should reach her destination as soon as 
possible. Unfortunately, she was detained off Staten Island by 
a slight accident to the machinery, and in some mysterious 
manner liquor was smuggled on board, and many of the crew 
were discovered to be under its influence. A seaman named 
Eitter was confined for drunkenness. It appears that he became 
abusive and noisy, and that the ship's corporal, a man named 
Cooper, rather exceeded his authority, and used a gag to stop 
his shouting. Either from apoplexy or from excessive drink, the 
man died very suddenly. The first intimation that Farragut 
had of the affair was while he was sitting at tea with Mr. Mc- 
Lane in the cabin, when the sound of angry voices and a tram- 
pling of feet on the deck told him something was wrong. He 
seized a cutlass from the rack at the cabin door, and rushed to 
the mainmast, where he held at bay a noisy crowd of sailors 
who were uttering imprecations against the ship's corporal. 
They had been led to this act of insubordination by one or two 
evilly disposed men who had induced them to come aft and 
demand that the " murderer " be given up to them. 

Farragut controlled his temper, spoke calmly to them, and 
said that the case would be fully investigated and justice would 
be done. During this harangue he found it impossible to dis- 
tinguish the leaders, who occasionally uttered mutinous senti- 
ments ; but he afterward remarked that he was thankful he 
had not made the discovery. 

By this time, however, the officers and marines had assem- 
bled, and the men dispersed quietly. 

Farragut now sent for the coroner, who summoned a jury of 
citizens, and the inquest continued all night, every facility 
being offered for carrying on the examination. At 3 o'clock 



194 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

A. M., the coroner informed him that he intended to heave the 
examination continued on shore, as the jury were not satisfied 
with the conflicting testimony, and that he wanted certain men 
(who were prisoners) sent ashore. Farragut replied that he 
could not allow men who were in confinement for various 
offenses to be sent ashore. If their testimony was needed, they 
must be requisitioned by proper authority (habeas corpus). 
The coroner replied that he did not think it necessary himself, 
but the jury had suggested it. Farragut sent the body on 
shore, and, fearing that Cooper's life was in danger, sent him to 
report to the commanding oflScer at the Brooklyn Navy-yard, 
recommending him to his care so far as seeing that justice was 
done him. But the man was arrested by the police as soon as 
he landed on Staten Island, and lodged in jail. 

In the mean time a summons was sent on board by the coro- 
ner, written in pencil, to demand the witnesses. Farragut did 
not obey the summons, as he had already informed the coroner 
of his decision in the matter. " Believing," he says, " that I 
had done all that was necessary in the premises, and that further 
delay might prove injurious to the public interests, I deter- 
mined to put to sea." The sequel to this affair, though ending 
in his entu'e exoneration, was a source of exceeding annoyance. 
During the trip down to Vera Cruz he discovered that one of 
the crew, named Williams, had been inciting them " to mutiny 
over imaginary wrongs by writing doggerel poetry and distrib- 
uting it. His poetry was seized, and he was placed in close 
confinement. * 

Farragut's zeal for the service was not appreciated in "Wash- 
ington. Pohtical pressure was brought to bear, his ship was 
ordered back to Staten Island, and the trial of Cooper took 
place in mid-winter. From the harassing abuse that Farragut 
received from pettifogging lawyers, and the erroneous state- 
ments in the papers, one would have imagined that he was on 
trial, instead of Cooper. Mr. Charles O'Conor sustained Farra- 
gut with his opinion in this matter, and, though a stranger, 
refused to accept a fee, saying, " Sir, it has been such pleasure 
for me to defend such a frank man, that I will not accept a cent." 



CEUISE OF THE BEOOKLYK 195 

After Farragut returned to Yera Cruz, tlie annoyance to 
wliicli he had been subjected brought on an attack of fever, 
from which he barely recovered. A battle would not have 
affected him half as much as an accusation of cnielty or injus- 
tice. In answer to a statement made in one of the papers, he 
says: 

" I am at all times ready to answer to the laws of my country 
for any cruelty, and I feel assured that no one who knows me 
will believe me guilty of cruelty to anything, least of all to my 
fellow man. So long as I stand acquitted in my own mind be- 
fore my Maker, I shall be content, and I feel entire confidence 
that my countrymen who seek the truth in forming a judgment 
will protect me with their respect and good will." 

It seems somewhat remarkable that Farragut should be des- 
tined to see so much service in the GuK of Mexico, with the 
waters of which he had become so familiar that those who served 
with him on that cruise bear testimony to the perfect ease with 
which he handled the Brooklyn, going in and out among the 
reefs in all kinds of weather. 

His first orders were to visit Port au Prince, Hayti, on ac- 
count of the troubles in that island ; but on his arrival he found 
that a bloodless revolution had been accomplished (January, 
1859) ; the Emperor Soulouque had taken refuge in Jamaica, 
and Geffrard had been elected President of the Republic. In 
reporting to Flag Officer McCluney at Aspinwall (March 11) 
he says : 

" I was satisfied that the revolution was one of a permanent 
character, and that no counter-movement was likely to take 
place, as the people seemed to be tired both of the oppression 
of their late Emperor and of civil war. Moreover, the present 
President, Geffrard, appears to be a general favorite with the 
people. Everybody seems to hail the revolution as a blessing, 
and Geif rard as the only man to terminate the ' war of color ' ; 
for, although a black, he has mixed blood in his veins. In his 



196 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

inaugural address, he spoke on that subject very conservatively, 
saying that they should be like a perfect picture composed of 
many colors, enabling them to become a more perfect nation by 
the uniting of color." 

After watering at Porto Bello, " one of the finest harbors in 
the world," the ship proceeded to Yera Cruz. There Farragut 
communicated with the Hon. Kobert M. McLane, who had just 
presented his credentials to Juarez, the liberal President, who 
had been recognized by our Government. 

The country was in its chronic state of revolution. Juarez 
held the city of Yera Cruz and the principal ports on the 
coast, while Miramon, of the clerical or church party, occu- 
pied the city of Mexico and the surrounding country. None 
of that energy which marked the days of Santa Anna was 
apparent. Signs of decay were to be seen on every side; 
crumbling walls, old-fashioned ordnance, and squalid soldiery- 
told the story of a retrograde movement in the condition of 
the country. 

In this state of affairs, the interests of American citizens 
were constantly involved, and appeals for protection were 
promptly met by Captain Farragut. On the 2d of January, 
Minister McLane being advised by the Consul at Tampico of 
an anticipated attack on the place by a portion of Miramon's 
forces, a boat fully equipped with howitzer, small arms, and 
provisions was landed under command of Lieutenant William 
N. Jeffers (now Commodore), for the protection of the Consu- 
late and American residents. ISTo conflict took place, but Lieu- 
tenant Jeffers was fully prepared with his little force to cover 
the embarkation of any citizens in the event of an attack, and 
under such circumstances he was instructed not to allow the 
American flag to be struck, " but, in case of being overpowered, 
I do not wish you to make a wanton sacriflce of life, but retire 
in your boat, with the assurance to the commanding General 
that both he and his Government will be held strictly account- 
able for any violation of the person or property of an American 
citizen." 



PECULIAR SERVICE IN" MEXICO. 197 

During this period the ship, which had been placed at the 
disposal of Mr. McLane, was engaged in taking him to different 
points along the coast to communicate with our consular repre- 
sentatives. Farragut's associations with Mr. McLane were of 
the most pleasing nature. Once when he was twitted with be- 
ing at the beck and call of a civilian, he answered : 

" I can only say that I am always at the service of the coun- 
try in doing my duty, and would rather be subject to the direc- 
tions of an intelligent man, appointed by the Government for a 
purpose on account of his qualifications, than to be under some 
old fool who has floated up to his position without the first 
requisites, the only merit that he possesses being that he had 
been in the Kavy all his life without having done anything to 
recommend him, either to the Government or to his brother 
officers." 

The duty of navigating a vessel of the Brooklyn's size along 
the Mexican coast was hazardous in the extreme, but Farragut 
rather enjoyed the excitement. In speaking of his return to 
Vera Cruz, after a visit to Campeachy, he says : 

" I can't help loving my profession, but it has materially 
changed since the advent of steam. I took as much pleasure in 
running into this port the other day in a gale of wind as ever a 
boy did in any feat of skill. The people seemed astonished. 
McLane said he would sooner have done it than anything else — 
except to take a ship" 

"While the Brooklyn was lying in the harbor of Yera Cruz, 
in company with the sloop of war Saratoga, the time was not 
passed idly. Every good day was taken advantage of for exer- 
cising the crews of the two ships in their various duties, and 
quite a lively competition sprang up between them in the ma- 
nipulation of sails, target practice, and boat expeditions. 

Farragut's interest never flagged in carrying out these rou- 
tine duties, and nothing escaped his eye which bore on his pro- 
fession. His evenings were passed on shore, visiting among 
both native and foreign residents, many of them being acquain- 



198 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

tances formed during his earlier visits, wliicli dated as far back 
as 1838. Being of a most genial and sociable nature, and 
speaking both French and Spanish with ease, he made many 
friends. 

We find among his papers the following letter of thanks 
from American merchants, and his reply. In the expedition 
referred to, Farragut had ridden out with the representatives of 
other nations to see General Robles, bearing an official letter to 
him from United States Minister McLane. Robles was in com- 
mand of the Miramon forces at Jalapa. The object of the ex- 
pedition was to negotiate with Robles, and through him with 
Miramon, for the better protection of American citizens residing 
in the City of Mexico, and to establish a modus vivendi between 
the Miramon Government and the Consuls of the United States 
residing in those parts of Mexico which were within the juris- 
diction of the Miramon Government, with whom at that time 
that Government refused to hold intercourse, as they were act- 
ing under exequaturs issued by the Juarez Government in view 
of its recognition by the Government of the United States. 
The expedition was eminently successful, and especially so in 
that it enabled Consul Black, in the City of Mexico, to maintain 
quasi official relations with the Government in that city while 
Juarez was in Yera Cruz. 

" Yeea Ortiz, Jime 28, 1859. 
" Sm : "We the undersigned, citizens of the United States, 
parties interested in the conducta of specie which has just come 
in from the City of Mexico, after having been placed in jeop- 
ardy during several days by the illegal detention of it at a point 
some thirty miles distant from this city by General Robles, one 
of the Generals of the Miramon Government, appreciating fully 
the valuable services rendered to us by you in your mission to 
General Robles' s camp, beg to be permitted through the present 
medium to offer to you this testimony of our grateful acknowl- 
edgments for having contributed so actively toward relieving 
our property from the imminent danger to which it was mo- 
mentarily exposed. 



PECULIAR SERVICE IN MEXICO. 199 

" We have the honor to be, sir, your most obedient servants 
and fellow citizens, 

" E. Behn, 
F. "W". Shueke, 

FUENTES CaNAKOL, 

C. Maekoe." 

" U. S. Steamee Beooklyn, Veea Ckitz, July 31, 1859. 

" Gentlemen : Your favor of the 28th June did not reach 
me until after my arrival at Pensacola some time in July, when 
I had no means of replying until my return to this port, and I 
now avail myself of the earliest opportunity to express to you 
my thanks for your very favorable appreciation of the small ser- 
vice rendered in the line of my duty, carrying out the wishes 
of the United States Minister. Had there been a necessity for 
further action, I trust that the Navy would not have been found 
indifferent either to the call of their countrymen or that of hu- 
manity, from any quarter. 

" Hoping that you may not again be subjected to such a long 
interruption of your commercial affairs, 

" I remain, with great respect, your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Fakeagut." 

During the whole time that Farragut remained with the 
Brooklyn subject to the service of the United States Minister, 
the greatest intimacy existed between him and the Minister, 
and the moral force which the association gave to the latter was 
of great value to the country. "Without it, the mission could 
not have been established, and the constitutional government of 
Mexico might never have had its seat in the City of Mexico or 
have been recognized by the governments of England, France, 
Spain, and Germany. The Ministers of England, France, and 
Germany met Mr. McLane at Jalapa, after a meeting with the 
Minister of Spain at Yera Cruz, and in a very short time there- 
after all four of them recognized Juarez in the City of Mexico 
as the legal and constitutional President of the Mexican Eepub- 
Kc, all of which was prior to the war between France and Mex- 



200 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

ico, and the unfortunate and unwise establishment of the Empire 
bj the conquering army. 

The Brooklyn returned to the United States with Mr. Mc- 
Lane in September, but returned again to Mexico in the follow- 
ing November, with the Minister and his family. Finally in De- 
cember he was taken up the Mississippi and landed at a planta- 
tion below New Orleans. 

A singular circumstance occurred in connection with this 
visit to the Mississippi Kiver. Farragut's brother "William, a 
retired Lieutenant, had been on duty for many years at the 
naval rendezvous at New Orleans. He was an invalid, crippled 
by rheumatism contracted in the line of duty in the West 
Indies, was lying at the point of death when he heard of his 
brother's ship being in the river, and expressed a hope that he 
would live to see him. Farragut hastened up to the city, un- 
aware of these facts, looking forward with pleasure to seeing 
a brother from whom he had been separated for so many years ; 
but the messenger of death had preceded him, and he only 
arrived in time to see the lifeless form of his brother and follow 
it to the grave. 

This visit to the river in a ship of war was a little more than 
two years before the passage of the forts, and it was doubtless 
of service to him in freshening his memory of the locality. 

In 1860 the Government, having determined to send a scien- 
tific party to make an exploration for a proposed route across the 
Isthmus at Chiriqui, designated the Brooklyn to transport the 
members of the party and their impedimenta to the starting- 
point on the Gulf side. Singularly enough, the Department 
sent an officer in command of the expedition who was Farra- 
gut's junior. The latter was compelled by his orders to go 
wherever this officer desired the presence of the vessel, and it 
amounted virtually to a junior being placed over his senior in 
rank. Captain Engle, in command of the expedition, was an 
acquaintance from boyhood, and toward him Farragut had the 
friendliest feelings, but he was not the person to aEow such, a 
mistake of the Department to pass unnoticed. He sent in his 
protest ; but as the interests of the service required that there 



PECULIAR SERVICE IN MEXICO. 201 

should be no avoidable delays in the departure of the ship, he 
sailed from Hampton Eoads, August 13, 1860. The appeal to 
the Secretary of the Navy was not in vain, and in the follow- 
ing October Farragut was relieved by Captain "W. S. "Walker, 
who was returning home from Aspinwall, and placed on wait- 
ing orders, where we find him at the breaking out of the war of 
the Kebellion. 



CHAPTEK XYII. 

THE QrESTION OF ALLEGIANCE, AND ITS ANSWER. 

The momentous questions involved in the attempt at seces- 
sion and the war that followed it have been discussed by the 
ablest men of the age, and finally settled by the arbitration of 
the sword ; and probably there are few, if any, who do not now 
recognize in the preservation of our national union the best and 
safest conclusion of that unhappy struggle. But when the ex- 
periment of disunion was untried, the battle was to be fought, 
and the passions and prejudices which had made it inevitable 
were at their height, it was not so easy for everybody to distin- 
guish clearly between the right and the wrong. In the autumn 
and winter of 1860, as our affairs assumed daily a more threat- 
ening aspect, military and naval men of Southern birth or con- 
nections were placed in a peculiarly embarrassing position. Un- 
accustomed to political casuistry, they were called upon to decide 
the highest question of allegiance and duty, when it had been 
sophisticated by partisan logic and prejudiced by the most pas- 
sionate appeals to their social predilections and local ties. Many 
of them had passed the greater part of their lives in the service 
of the United States Government, and could scarcely be expect- 
ed to give up without a severe heart-struggle the positions of 
honor and trust which they had earned so faithfully and held 
so long. To them the idea of a dismemberment of the Union 
was like an unreal vision, and the sentiment that favored it the 
merest twaddle. But at last sectional animosities had become 
so embittered by the result of the Charleston Convention, the 
election of Mr.' Lincoln, and the investment of Fort Sumter, 
that a division of sentiment began to appear among men devoted 
to the profession of arms. 

Farragut had just been relieved from command of the 



4fC 




"^ '^ 




QUESTION OF ALLEGIANCE, AND ITS ANSWER. 203 

Brooklyn, and was on waiting orders at his adopted home, Nor- 
folk, Virginia. This place was preeminently a naval town. 
Many of the resident families were connected by marriage with 
Navy men (his wife's connections being nearly all in the Navy) ; 
the city was filled with officers — some on duty at the Navy- 
yard, others on waiting orders, and there were a few from the 
extreme South who had actually sent in their resignations, 
doubtless from the pressure brought to bear by relatives and 
friends. 

These gentlemen used to congregate every morning at a 
certain store, and talk over the news of the day. The conven- 
tion in session at Richmond, discussing the fate of the common- 
wealth, furnished perhaps the most exciting topic. 

Farragut had the sagacity to perceive the impending storm, 
but he was laughed at for his prophecies, and was called a 
"croaker." It grieved him exceedingly, and he passed many 
sleepless nights thinking over the matter. He said, " God for- 
bid I should have to raise my hand against the South." He 
regretted deeply the necessity that would compel him to show 
his allegiance by fighting, but the question of duty to the Na- 
tional Government remained always the same. The position 
taken by him on this occasion, like every act of his life, was 
clear and well defined. If an amicable division of the country 
should take place, through the will of the people North and 
South — though he shuddered at such a result — he should un- 
doubtedly settle among his relatives and friends in Virginia. 
But he felt that he owed his first allegiance to the United States 
Government, which had given him his professional education, 
employment, and rank. He had strong hopes — judging from 
the patriotic sentiments of various speeches in the convention — 
that Virginia would not join in the attempt at secession ; and, 
when her action was precipitated by the excitement that fol- 
lowed the attack on Fort Sumter and President Lincoln's call 
for troops, he did not beheve it was in accordance with the will 
of a majority of her people. He felt, as he expressed it, that 
" the State had been dragooned out." The convention passed 
the ordinance, by a vote of 88 to 55, on April ITth, and fixed 
14 



204 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

the time for the required popular vote upon it at the last Thurs- 
day in May ! Long before that date the Legislature had adopted 
the Confederate Constitution and voted money for military pur- 
poses, the l^Tavy-yard at Norfolk and the Arsenal at Harper's 
Ferry had been seized, and the State was overrun with soldiers 
from the extreme South. 

On the morning when it was announced that Yirginia had 
passed the ordinance of secession (April 18th), Farragut went as 
usual to the rendezvous previously mentioned, and was soon 
aware, by the reserved manner and long faces of those about 
him, that affairs had reached a climax. He expressed himself 
freely, as not satisfied with the action of the convention, and 
beheving that President Lincoln was fully justified in calling 
for troops after the seizure of the forts and arsenals. He was 
impatiently informed that a person of his sentiments " could 
not live in Norfolk," to which he calmly replied, " Well, then, 
I can live somewhere else." 

Returning home immediately, with the feeling that the time 
for prompt action had arrived, he announced to his wife his in- 
tention of " sticking to the fiag," and said to her, " This act of 
mine may cause years of separation from your family ; so you 
must decide quickly whether you will go North or remain here." 
It is needless to say that her decision was as prompt as his own, 
to go with her husband. 

As a young officer, Farragut had laid stress upon certain 
events of his early life ; but he little dreamed that the display 
of judgment shown by him on this occasion would outshine 
every circumstance of his previous history, and be the turning- 
point in his naval career. His patriotism, his decision of char- 
acter, and a strict sense of duty, assisted him in deciding the 
momentous question of loyalty, and a life-long study of his pro- 
fession had prepared him for the terrible contest which followed. 
His experience in revolutionary countries, and a not over-confi- 
dence in human nature, impressed him with the feeling that a 
bloody war would soon begin. "With a sad heart he determined 
to move to the North and quietly await the wishes of the naval 
authorities at Washington. 



QUESTION OF ALLEGIANCE, AND ITS ANSWEK. 205 

Accompanied bj his wife and son, he departed by steamer 
for Baltimore on the evening of April 18th, passing out of the 
harbor on the very day when the State authorities were erecting 
a battery at Sewall's Point, opposite Fortress Monroe, and 
making other preparations for the seizure of Government prop- 
erty. On his arrival in Baltimore he found the city in a fer- 
ment of excitement. The encounter between the Massachusetts 
troops and the mob had just taken place, and communication 
between that city and Philadelphia by rail had been severed by 
the destruction of the bridge over the Susquehanna. After 
many inquiries, he succeeded in getting passage on a canal- 
boat, and thence continued to Kew York without further ad- 
venture. After passing a few days in the city, amid the noisy 
preparations of war, with its din of drums and military dis- 
play, he secured a little cottage at the village of Hastings on 
the Hudson, resolved to remain there quietly until called upon 
for service. 

The time passed pleasantly enough, and acquaintances were 
made in the community which ripened into the warmest friend- 
ships. But Farragut watched with deep anxiety the commence- 
ment of hostilities. He longed to take an active part in the 
war ; for he stood on no neutral ground. The matter had now 
become a question of the preservation of the Union, and he 
desired to do his share in maintaining the Government which 
he had assisted in protecting from a foreign enemy in 1812, 
and which now needed help against internal foes. 

It was some relief to him to be assigned to duty as member 
of a naval retiring-board which had convened at Brooklyn. 
This at least showed a proper recognition of his loyalty. But 
the duty of passing judgment upon brother officers was not the 
most agreeable occupation for one of his sympathetic nature, 
nor could a person of his active temperament be blamed for 
finding such work irksome in the extreme. An unfinished let- 
ter is in existence, which shows the drift of his thoughts at this 
period ; he offers his services to the Government, to command 
a fleet vessel and search for the Sumter, the first of the Confed- 
erate cruisers whose appearance in the waters of the Atlantic 



206 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

had caused sucli a commotion in our mercliant marine. He had 
a theory in regard to the movements of that enterprising vessel, 
and desired nothing better than to undertake her capture. But 
the Government had more serious work for Farragut, and with- 
out his knowledge had been considering his adaptability for a 
gigantic enterprise. 



CHAPTER XYIII. 

THE EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW 0ELEAN8. 

After the unfortunate events of the summer of 1861, the 
National Administration, fully aware that the loyal North re- 
quired substantial victories and was r^dy to furnish everything 
that might be necessary therefor, raised large armies and in- 
creased om- naval establishment. On the upper Mississippi a 
flotilla was organized under Flag-officer A. H. Foote, who soon 
made the enemy feel his power at Forts Henry and Donel- 
son. 

But the greater portion of the Mississippi, from Memphis 
to the GuK, was controlled by the Confederates, who were thus 
enabled to transport immense supplies from the Southwest to 
the seat of war. The occupation of this great stream by the 
Union forces would seriously embarrass them. It was known 
that at New Orleans a naval force, consisting of rams and 
armored vessels, was in process of construction and organization 
under skillful Southern officers, and that preparations were 
making to defend the approaches from the GuK, as well as from 
above. The capture of New Orleans would not only be the 
first and most important step toward the possession of the river, 
but would deprive the Confederacy of by far the richest and 
most populous city within its borders. 

It has been said on good authority that, in selecting a leader 
for an expedition against New Orleans, the qualifications of 
various officers for such a command were secretly discussed at 
Washington, and the choice gradually dwindled down to three. 
Secretary "Welles claimed the credit of selecting Farragut for 
the service. He said he had formed a high opinion of him 
during his own early official life at Washington. He was 
strongly endorsed by Commodore Joseph Smith (afterward 



208 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

Rear-Admiral), chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, with 
whom Farragut had corresponded officially for several years. 
Commander David D. Porter, who had been taken into the 
confidence of the Secretary, was sent as an intermediary to as- 
certain whether the proposed service would be agreeable. 

The result was, that Farragut was ordered to report in person 
at the seat of government, and he obeyed the summons with 
alacrity. An abrupt and mysterious note appears among his 
papers, written from Washington, December 21, 1861, in which 
he says : " Keep your lips closed, and burn my letters ; for per- 
fect silence is to be observed — ^the first injunction of the Secre- 
tary. I am to have a fiag in the Gulf, and the rest depends 
upon myself. Keep calm and silent. I shall sail in three 
weeks." 

After this interview with Mr. Welles, he received prepara- 
tory orders on the 23d of December, and in January the follow- 
ing : 

"Navy Depaetment, January 9, 1862. 

" Sir : You are hereby appointed to command the Western 
Gulf Blockading Squadron, and you wiU proceed to Phila- 
delphia and report to Commodore Pendergrast ; and, when the 
United States steam sloop-of-war Hartford shall be prepared in 
all respects for sea, you are authorized to hoist your fiag on 
board of that vessel. 

" The Western Gulf Blockading Squadron commences at, 
but does not include, St. Andrew's Bay in West Florida, and 
extends to the Rio Grande. The coast of Mexico and Yucatan 
will also be considered within the limits of your command. 
Further instructions will be issued before your departure. 
'' 1 am, respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" Gideon Welles. 
" Captain D. G. Faeeagtjt, 
"Appointed to command the W. G. B. S., 
" Hastings on Hudson." 

His subsequent confidential instructions specially charged 
him with the "reduction of the defenses guarding the ap- 



THE EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW OELEANS. 209 

proaches to 'New Orleans, and the taking possession of that 
city," in addition to the ordinary duties of blockade, as is shown 
by the letter which follows : 

" Navy Depaetment, January 20^ 1862. 
" Flag-ofBcer D. G. Faeragut, 

"Appointed to command "Western Gulf 
Blockading Squadron, 

" Sir : "When the Hartford is in all respects ready for sea, 
you will proceed to the GuK of Mexico with all possible dis- 
patch, and communicate with Flag Officer "W. "W. McKean, who 
is directed by the inclosed dispatch to transfer to you the com- 
mand of the Western Gulf Blockading Squadron. . . . There 
will be attached to your squadron a fleet of bomb-vessels and 
armed steamers enough to manage them, all under command of 
Commander D. D. Porter, who will be directed to report to you. 
As fast as these vessels are got ready they will be sent to Key 
West to await the arrival of all, and the commanding officers, 
who will be permitted to organize and practice with them at 
that port. 

"When these formidable mortars arrive and you are com- 
pletely ready, you will collect such vessels as can be spared from 
the blockade, and proceed up the Mississippi River and reduce 
the defenses which guard the approaches to New Orleans, when 
you will appear off that city and take possession of it under the 
guns of your squadron, and hoist the American flag therein, 
keeping possession until troops can be sent to you. If the Mis- 
sissippi expedition from Cairo shall not have descended the 
river, you will take advantage of the panic to push a strong 
force up the river to take all their defenses in the rear. 

" As you have expressed yourself perfectly satisfied with the 
force given to you, and as many more powerful vessels will be 
added before you can commence operations, the Department 
and the country require of you success. . . . There are other 
operations of minor importance which will commend themselves 
to your judgment and skiU, but which must not be allowed to 
interfere with the great object in view — the certain capture of 
the city of New Orleans. 



210 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" Destroy the armed barriers which these deluded people 
have raised up against the power of the United States Govern- 
ment, and shoot down those who war against the Union ; but 
cultivate with cordiality the first returning reason which is sure 
to follow your success. 

" Kespectfully, etc., 

" Gideon "Welles." 

Farragut fully appreciated the importance of this undertak- 
ing, to himself as well as to the country. Not only was his 
professional reputation at stake, but a failure on his part might 
be interpreted as a want of zeal in the enterprise, because he 
was of Southern birth. His smiling face, however, showed a 
perfect satisfaction with his orders, and a confidence in his 
ability to execute them. Before receiving these orders, he had 
expressed the opinion that he " could take New Orleans," and 
had made up his mind as to his course of action if he should be 
called upon to perform that task. 

He had very little faith in the efficacy of a mortar-fleet, and 
would have preferred to dispense with that appendage to the 
expedition. But it had been determined upon before he was 
consulted, the costly mortars had been ordered in November, 
and the schooners for them were being made ready under the 
direction of Commander D. D. Porter. So he accepted the 
undertaking, with its existing conditions, and proceeded to carry 
it out, as nearly as these would permit, in accordance with his 
early plan. 

On February 2, 1862, he sailed from Hampton Eoads in the 
Bteam-sloop Hartford, which was destined to be his home for the 
remainder of the war, and to bear him safely through severe 
trials and dangers to the termination of the great struggle. She 
was selected for his flag-ship because she was one of the finest 
vessels of her class in the service. Of a graceful outline, with 
well-proportioned spars, the Hartford was the admiration of all 
who could see beauty in a ship. Farragut was enthusiastic about 
the vessel, as many of his letters show. 

She was a screw-ship of the second class, with full sail-power, 



THE EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW ORLEANS. 211 

and of nineteen hundred tons burthen ; her extreme length be- 
ing two hundred and twenty-five feet, her greatest breadth of 
beam forty-four, and her mean draught of water, with every- 
thing in, sixteen feet three inches. Her engines were direct- 
acting, developing a speed of eight knots, and her greatest speed, 
under sail and steam combined, was eleven knots. At the time 
she carried a battery of twenty-two nine-inch Dahlgrens, two 
twenty-pounder Parrots, and the fore- and main-tops were ar- 
ranged with protections of boiler-iron for the service of howitz- 
ers, a suggestion of Farragut's. This formidable battery was 
afterward increased by the addition of a rifled Sawyer gun on 
the forecastle. The flag oflBcer believed in the Napoleonic idea 
— plenty of guns. His desire seemed to be, to make use of every 
available space where guns could be profitably worked. 

The Hartford arrived at the rendezvous, Ship Island, about 
one hundred miles north-northeast of the mouths of the Missis- 
sippi, on February 20th, seventeen days from Hampton Roads, 
having been detained at Key "West by head winds. From there 
he wrote, under date of March 19th : 

"None of our vessels have yet arrived. I sent over to 
Biloxi yesterday, and robbed the post-ofiice of a few papers. 
They speak volumes of discontent. It is no use — the cord 
is pulling tighter, and I hope I shall be able to tie it. God 
alone decides the contest ; but we must put our shoulders to 
the wheel. 

" I see that Yancey has made a speech in New Orleans, the 
substance of which was that * all Europe wished to see was, the 
total destruction of this country.' That was the truth, and 
what a comfort it must have been to him to think that he 
had been one of the greatest instruments in the consumma- 
tion of their designs! He has returned home disgusted with 
England. His whole speech went to show the desperation of 
' the cause.' 

" You can better imagine my feelings at entering Hampton 
Roads as an enemy of Norfolk than I can. But, thank God, I 
had nothing to do with making ic so." 



212 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

General B. F. Butler, commanding the military force desig- 
nated to cooperate with Farragut's fleet, sailed in transports 
from Hampton Koads on February 20th, and, after an adven- 
turous voyage, in which the vessel containing himself and a 
portion of his force narrowly escaped wreck, arrived at Ship 
Island on the 25th of March. On this date Farragut writes : 

" I am now packed and ready for my departure to the mouth 
of the Mississippi River. The last vessel, the Miami, takes me 
down. I spent last evening very pleasantly with General But- 
ler. He does not appear to have any very difficult plan of opera- 
tions, but simply to follow in my wake and hold what I can 
take. God grant that may be all that we attempt. I have now 
attained what I have been looking for all my life — a flag — and, 
having attained it, all that is necessary to complete the scene is 
a victory. If I die in the attempt, it will only be what every 
officer has to expect. He who dies in doing his duty to his 
country, and at peace with his God, has played out the drama 
of life to the best advantage." 

Farragut received his last instructions from the Kavy De- 
partment in the following communication : 

" Navy Depaetment, February 10, 1862, 
"Flag-officer D. G. Faeragttt, TJ. S. Navy, 

" Commanding Western Gulf Blockading Squadron, 
" Ship Island, 

" SiK : I inclose to you herewith sketches from the United 
States Engineer Bureau relative to the works on the Mississippi 
River ; also a memorandum prepared by General Barnard, 
United States Army, who constructed Fort St. Philip. The 
most important operation of the war is confided to yourself and 
your brave associates, and every light poss,ible to obtain should 
be carefully considered before putting into operation the plan 
which your judgment dictates. 

" It is reported that nineteen feet of water can be carried 
over the bar. If this be true, the frigate Mississippi can be 



THE EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW OELEANS. 



213 



got over without mucli difficulty. The Colorado draws about 
twenty-two feet ; she lightens one inch to twenty-four tons ; her 
keel is about two feet deep. The frigate Wabash, when in !N^ew 
York in 1858, drew, without her spar-deck guns, stores, water 
casks, tanks, and coal (excepting thirty tons), aft twenty feet 
four inches, forward sixteen feet, or on an even keel eighteen 
feet four inches. This would indicate a very easy passage for 
this noble vessel, and, if it be possible to get these two steamers 




Appeoaobces to New Okleans, 



over, and perhaps a sailing vessel also, you will take care to use 
every exertion to do so. The powerful tugs in the bomb flotilla 
will afford the necessary pulling power. The tops of these large 
steamers are from thirty to fifty feet above the fort, and com- 
mand the parapets and interior completely with howitzers and 
musketry. The Wachusett at Boston ; the Oneida, Eichmond, 



214 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

Yarima, and Dakota at Kew York ; and the Iroquois from the 
West Indies, are ordered to report to you with all practicable 
dispatch, and every gunboat which can be got ready in time 
will have the same orders. All of the bomb-vessels have sailed, 
and the steamers to accompany them are being prepared with 
great dispatch. It is believed the last will be off by the 16th 
instant. 

" Eighteen thousand men are being sent to the Gulf to co- 
operate in the movements which wiU give to the arms of the 
United States fuU possession of the ports within the limits of 
your command. You will, however, carry out your instructions 
with regard to the Mississippi and Mobile without any delay 
beyond that imposed upon you by your own careful preparations. 
A division from Ship Island will probably be ready to occupy 
the forts that will fall into your hands. The Department relies 
upon your skill to give direction to the powerful force placed at 
your disposal, and upon your personal character to infuse a 
hearty cooperation among your officers, free from unworthy 
jealousies. If successful, you open the way to the sea for the 
great West, never again to be closed. The rebellion wiU be 
riven in the centre, and the flag to which you have been so 
faithful wiU recover its supremacy in every State. 

" Yery respectfully, etc., 

" GiDEoif Welles." 

The Delta of the Mississippi has been aptly described as " a 
long, watery arm, gauntleted in swamps and mud, spread out 
into a grasping hand," of which the fingers are the five passes 
or mouths — Pass a I'Outre, Northeast Pass, Southeast Pass, 
South Pass, and Southwest Pass. The heavy deposits of mud 
brought down by the stream formed a bar at the entrance of 
each pass, preventing the ingress of ships of the heaviest 
draught.* The continual shifting of these mud-banks rendered 
it very difficult to obtain a correct knowledge of the channels 
and their condition. The pilots were constantly sounding, and 

* The removal of these bars and deepening of the channel constitute the work 
undertaken by Captain James B. Eads, now {1819) in progress. 



THE EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW. ORLEANS. 215 

changing the buojs and landmarks, and occasional efforts were 
made to dredge out the channels. 

New Orleans, on the left bank of the Mississippi, about one 
hundred miles from its mouth, was by far the wealthiest and 
most important city of the Confederacy. Its population in 1860 
was 168,675, while that of Charleston was but 40,500, that of 
Eichmond but 38,000, and that of Mobile but 29,000. Just be- 
fore the war, New Orleans had the largest export trade of any 
city in the world ; in 1860-'61 it received for shipment ninety- 
two million dollars' worth of cotton and more than twenty-five 
milhon dollars' worth of sugar. These facts, together with the 
importance of its position from a military point of view (for 
possession of the Mississippi by the national forces would cut 
the Confederacy in two), made it the largest prize at which any 
single expedition could be aimed. 

At a point about thirty miles above the head of the passes, 
where the river makes its last great bend — the lowest favorable 
locality for defense before reaching the Gulf — the United States 
Government had erected two forts, St. Phihp on the left or 
north bank, and Jackson a little farther down stream on the 
right. In 1815 a single fort at this point had held the British 
fleet in check for nine days, though they threw into it more 
than a thousand shells. Perhaps a knowledge of this fact was 
one reason for Fan-agut's lack of faith in the proposed reduction 
by bombardment. Fort St. Philip was originally built by the 
Spaniards, but the work was wholly inclosed by the United 
States authorities in 1812-15, and since 1841 had undergone 
extensive repairs and modifications. It consisted of a quadran- 
gular earthwork with brick scai-p, rising nineteen feet above the 
level of the river, and a wet ditch, having exterior batteries 
above and below, and all the guns en harheUe, Jackson, the 
more formidable of the two forts, was mostly built in 1824-'32. 
It is a pentagonal bastioned fortification, built of brick, with 
casemates, glacis, and wet ditch ; the whole work rising twenty- 
five feet above the surface of the river. The Confederate Gov- 
ernment had early taken possession of these forts, and put them 
in complete order. "When Farragut's fleet appeared before 



216 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

them, Fort Jackson, with its water battery, mounted seventy- 
five guns, and St. Philip about forty. These guns included 
columbiads, mortars, and rifled pieces, but were mostly 32- 
poimders, smooth bore. Fourteen of the guns of Fort Jackson 
were in bomb-proof casemates. The works were garrisoned by 
about fifteen hundred men, commanded by Brigadier-General 
J. K. Duncan ; St. Philip being under the immediate command 
of Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Higgins. 

Just above the forts lay a rebel fleet of fifteen vessels, under 
Commodore J. K. Mitchell, including the iron-clad ram Manassas 
and an immense floating battery covered with railroad iron, 
called the Louisiana. Just below Fort Jackson the Confederates 
had obstructed the river with a heavy chain, brought from Pen- 
sacola. It was pinned to the under side of a row of cypress 
logs, which were thirty feet long and four or five feet in diam- 
eter. The logs were but a few feet apart as they lay in the 
river, the ends of the cable were made fast to great trees on 
shore, and the whole was kept from sagging down stream by 
seven anchors. But the spring freshet piled up an immense 
raft of driftwood against the structure, and after a time it gave 
way and was swept out to sea. It was soon replaced with two 
lighter chains, supported on a row of eight dismasted vessels 
anchored abreast across the river. A section next to the right 
bank was still supported by logs, as before. 

A company of two hundred sharpshooters ranged up and 
down the banks, to give the forts intelligence of the Federal 
movements and pick off men whenever opportunity offered. 

The task that lay before Farragut was, to break through the 
obstructions, pass between the forts, conquer the rebel fleet, and 
then steam up to Kew Orleans, lay the city under his guns, and 
demand its surrender. For its accomplishment he had six 
sloops-of-war, sixteen gunboats, twenty-one schooners, each car- 
rying a 13-inch mortar, and five other vessels. The fleet car- 
ried over two hundred guns, and this was by far the most 
powerful naval expedition that had ever sailed under the 
American flag. 

General Butler was at a hand with a military force of fifteen 



THE EXPEDITION" AGAINST NEW ORLEANS. 217 

thousand men, to hold whatever Farragut might capture, and 
if possible to cooperate with him. 

The mortar schooners, with their convoys, went in by Pass 
a I'Outre ; the others by Southwest Pass — all except the Colo- 
rado, which di-ew twenty-two feet of water and could not be 
taken in at all, as there was but fifteen feet on the bar. Great 
difficulty was experienced in getting over the Brooklyn, Missis- 
sippi, and Pensacola. The Mississippi, after being lightened in 
every possible manner, was dragged over through a foot of mud, 
by tug-boats. "While engaged in these operations, Farragut 
wrote, under date of March 10th : 

" I am up to my eyes in business. The Brooklyn is on the 
bar, and I am getting her off. I have just had Bell up at the 
head of the passes. My blockading shall be done inside as much 
as possible. I keep the gunboats up there all the time. . . . 
We have the stampede on them now, but it will stop if we meet 
with some reverse through the stupidity of any of our generals. 
The great man in our country must not only plan but execute. 
Success is the only thing listened to in this war, and I know 
that I must sink or swim by that rule. Two of my best friends 
have done me a great injury by telling the Department that the 
Colorado can be gotten over the bar into the river, and so I 
was compelled to try it, and take precious time to do it. If I 
had been left to myself, I would have been in before this." 

The non-arrival of coal transports was also a source of anxiety 
and delay, though General Butler supplied him generously from 
his transports. On the 8th of April he wrote : 

" I now find our own vessels are beginning to arrive, so that 
my alarms on that account are dispelled, and, so soon as the 
vessels can coal and get in their stores and munitions of war, 
we shall be ready to proceed up the river. 

"Yesterday was a day of rejoicing to me. We got the 
Pensacola over the bar, after two weeks' work. Now we are 
all right. The ships are getting in the articles taken out to 



218 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

lighten tliem. The General spent last evening with me, and 
returned to Ship Island this morning. . . . 

" I am anxiously looking for the fall of Columbus, and 
something from Bm'nside. I see that Pennock was in the fight 
at Island No. Ten, and the Benton was severely handled. I 
hope the place will be ours before you read this — and a good 
many other places. 

'' April nth. 

" You appear desirous to move for the sake of our dear boy. 
I wish you to do just as you please ; you know I have perfect 
confidence in your judgment. AU places are alike to me where 
my wife and child are with me. But, on the eve of so impor- 
tant an event as is about to occur with me, I advise you to hold 
on until you see the result. God dispenses His will according 
to His judgment, and not according to our wishes or expecta- 
tions. The defeat of our army at Corinth, which I saw in the 
rebel papers, will give us a much harder fight ; men are easily 
elated or depressed by victory. But as to being prepared for 
defeat, I certainly am not. Any man who is jDrepared for de- 
feat would be half defeated before he commenced. I hope for 
success ; shall do all in my power to secure it, and trust to God 
for the rest. I trust in Him as a merciful being ; but really in 
war it seems as if we hardly ought to expect mercy, when men 
are destroying one another upon questions of which He alone is 
the judge. Motive seems to constitute right and wrong." 

When the day for action arrived. General Butler's forces 
were embarked on transports, ready to be moved at once, in 
accordance with the progress of the naval operations. In his 
detailed report. Commander Porter thus described the placing 
of the mortar fleet : 

" The schooners sailed up partly, or were towed by steamers, 
and on the morning of the 18th of April they had all reached 
their positions, ready to open fire. Previous to taking their 
places, I had directed the masts to be dressed ofi with bushes, 
to make them invisible to the enemy and intermingle with the 



THE EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW ORLEANS. 219 

thick forest of trees and matted vines behind which they were 
placed. This arrangement proved to be an admirable one, for 
never once during the bombardment was one of the vessels seen 
from the forts, though their approximate position was known." 

On the first day, six of the mortar schooners were placed 
under the left bank of the river, and the remainder under the 
right bank, their distance from Fort Jackson being about three 
thousand yards ; but on the second day the six were moved 
across to the right bank, where they were all moored to the 
trees on shore. The mortars threw shells weighing two hun- 
dred and eighty-five pounds, and as Fort Jackson, on which 
their fire was to be concentrated, was entirely hidden by the 
intervening woods, they had to be worked upon a computed 
aim. Five days before, Mr. F. H. Gerdes, of the Coast Survey, 
had been sent up the river to make a map which should give 
the bearings and distances of the fort, the hulks, the position 
chosen for the mortar-boats, etc. This was done, with great 
exactness, by triangulation. 

For six days and nights the mortars kept up an unremitting 
fire, mainly on Fort Jackson, throwing nearly six thousand shells. 
The Confederates acknowledged a loss of fourteen killed and 
thirty-nine wounded by the bombardment. But the main result 
which Commander Porter expected to effect was the breaking 
of the bastions and casemates, and dismounting of the guns. A 
good deal of damage was done to the buildings inside of Fort 
Jackson, and the levee was cut, letting in considerable water ; 
but its fire was not silenced.* One of the schooners was sunk, 
and one of the steamers disabled, by rifled shot from the fort. 

Farragut's patience was sorely tried by this delay. He had 
never had much faith in the mortars, and now it was evident. 



* In a report dated May 5, 1862, Lieutenant Weitzel, who had examined the 

works, said : " Fort St. Philip stands, with one or two slight exceptions, to-day 

without a scratch. Fort Jackson was subjected to a torrent of 13-inch and 11-inch 

shells during a hundred and forty-four hours. To an inexperienced eye it seems as 

if this work were badly cut up. It is as strong to-day as when the first shell was 

fired at it." 

15 



220 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

as lie had anticipated, that almost the only practical effect of 
the bombardment was, to give the enemy long warning of the 
attack by the ships. 'Nov was this the only difficulty. In his 
report of the progress of the bombardment, he says : 

" The wind was blowing from the northwest, and chilly, the 
current running with great strength, so that the ships, when 
under way, could scarcely stem it. I shall await a change of 
wind, and a consequent less violent current, before I attack the 
forts, as I find great difficulty in avoiding collisions among the 
vessels. Two of the gunboats, Katahdin and Sciota, have been 
seriously damaged by getting across-hawse of the ships and 
running into each other. We lose a great many anchors and 
cables, and those articles are very much needed in the squadron. 
The Hartford is almost the only ship that has not lost both. . . . 
They have sent down five fire-rafts. ISTone produced any effect 
on the fleet, except the last, which only caused the collision of 
the Sciota and Kineo, both of which vessels dragged across the 
bows of the Mississippi and carried away the mainmast of the 
first and damaged them both very much. But the raft was 
turned clear of all the vessels of the fleet. As the wind and 
strong current were peculiarly favorable, it gave us more trouble 
than on any previous occasion." 

These fire-rafts were flat boats piled with dry wood smeared 
with tar and turpentine, which were set adi'if t all in flames, with 
the expectation that they would work havoc among the thickly- 
clustered ships of our fleet. But they were managed by boats' 
crews, who quietly tackled them and towed them to the shore, 
where they burned away harmlessly, or let them di'if t out to sea. 

Farragut's squadron had been prepared for the great struggle 
in accordance with the following general order : 

" You will prepare your ship for service in the Mississippi 
Kiver in the following manner : 

" Send down the top-gallant masts. Rig in the flying jib- 
boom, and land aU the spars and rigging, except what are neces- 



THE EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW ORLEANS. 221 

sary for the tkree topsails, foresail, jib, and spanker. Trice up 
to the topmast stays or land the whiskers, and bring all the rig- 
ging into the bowsprit, so that there shall be nothing in the 
range of the dii'ect fire ahead. 

" Make arrangements, if possible, to monnt one or two guns 
on the poop and top-gallant forecastle ; in other words, be pre- 
pared to use as many guns as possible ahead and astern, to pro- 
tect yourself against the enemy's gunboats and batteries, bearing 
in mind that you will always have to ride head to the current, 
and can only avail yourself of the sheer of the helm to point a 
broadside gun more than three points forward of the beam. 

"Have a kedge in the mizzen chains (or any convenient 
place) on the quarter, with a hawser bent and leading through 
in the stern chock, ready for any emergency ; also grapnels in 
the boats, ready to hook on to, and to tow off, fire-ships. Trim 
your vessel a few inches by the head, so that if she touches the 
bottom she will not swing head down the river. Put your boat 
howitzers in the fore-maintops, on the boat carriages, and secure 
them for firing abeam, etc. Should any injury occur to the 
machinery of the ship, making it necessary to drop down the 
river, you will back and fill down under sail, or you can drop 
your anchor and drift down, but in no case attempt to turn the 
ship's head down stream. You will have a spare hawser ready, 
and when ordered to take in tow your next astern do so, keeping 
the hawser slack so long as the ship can maintain her own posi- 
tion, having a care not to foul the propeller. 

" No vessel must withdraw from battle, under any circum- 
stances, without the consent of the flag-officer. You will see 
that force and other pumps and engine hose are in good order, 
and men stationed by them, and your men will be drilled to the 
extinguishing of fire. 

" Have light Jacob-ladders made to throw over the side for 
the use of the carpenters in stopping shot-holes, who are to be 
supplied with pieces of inch board lined with felt and ordinary 
nails, and see that the ports are marked in accordance with the 
' ordnance instructions ' on the berth deck, to show the locality 
of the shot-hole. 



222 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" Have many tubs of water about the decks, both for the 
purpose of extinguishing fire and for drinking. Have a heavy 
kedge in the port main-chains, and a whip on the main yard, 
ready to run it up and let fall on the deck of any vessel you 
may run alongside of, in order to secure her for boarding. 

" You will be careful to have lanyards on the lever of the 
screw so as to secure the gun at the proper elevation, and pre- 
vent it from running down at each fire. I wish you to under- 
stand that the day is at hand when you will be called upon to 
meet the enemy in the worst form for our profession. You 
must be prepared to execute all those duties to which you have 
been so long trained in the Navy without having the opportu- 
nity of practicing. I expect every vessel's crew to be well 
exercised at their guns, because it is required by the regulations 
of the service, and it is usually the first object of our attention ; 
but they must be equally well trained for stopping shot-Jioles 
and extinguishing fire. Hot and cold shot will, no doubt, be 
freely dealt to us, and there must be stout hearts and quick 
hands to extinguish the one and stop the holes of the other. 

" I shall expect the most prompt attention to signals and 
verbal orders, either from myself or the Captain of the fleet, 
who, it will be understood, in all cases acts by my authority. 

" D. G. Fakkagut." 

After the bombardment had continued three days Farragut 
called a council of his captains, on board the flag-ship, and in- 
formed them that he desired their opinion as to the best manner 
of passing the forts. He had made up his mind to attempt it, 
in any event. To explain the general order which was issued 
after the council had dissolved, it becomes necessary to give the 
written opinion of Commander Porter, sent to the flag-officer, 
of which the following is a copy : 

"When the ships are over the bar, guns mounted, coal- 
bunkers filled, sick on shore, hospital arrangements made for 
wounded, the fleet should move up, mortar fleet all in tow. 
The chain across the river to remain untouched for the present, 



THE EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW OKLEANS. 223 

or until after the mortars get their position and open their fire. 
It is a good defense on our side against fire-ships and rams, 
which may be sent down the river, and our ships can so com- 
mand the opening that nothing can pass down. As the mortar 
vessels are somewhat helpless, they should be protected at all 
points by the vessels of war, which should be ready at a mo- 
ment's notice to repel any attack on them by rams, floating tor- 
pedoes, or fire-ships ; the two latter to be towed out of the way, 
the rams to be run down by the heavy ships, while such vessels 
as the Westfield and Clifton attack them end on with cannon, 
while gunboats try to force them to the shore. When every- 
thing is ready for the assault, a demand for surrender should be 
made in language least calculated to exasperate, and of such a 
nature as to encourage those who might be disposed to return 
to their allegiance. There is evidence of a strong Union feeling 
in New Orleans, and everything should be done, without losing 
by delay, to prevent a counter-feeling. 

" "When it is evident that no surrender of the forts will be 
made, the mortars should open dehberate fire, keeping two shells 
in the air all the time, or each mortar vessel fire once in every 
ten minutes. Fort Jackson, being casemated, should receive 
the largest share of the bombardment; three or four vessels 
being employed against Fort St. Philip, firing as often as they 
can coolly and conveniently load and point. In the mean time 
preparations should be made to destroy, at a moment's notice, 
the vessels holding up the chain, or the chain itself, which can 
be done by applying a petard to the bobstays of the vessels or 
to the chain itself ; all of which petards are prepared, and a man 
accustomed to the business with galvanic battery. 

" In my opinion there are two methods of attack : one is for 
the vessels to run the gantlet of the batteries by night, or in a 
fog ; the other, to attack the forts by laying the big ships close 
alongside of them, avoiding the casemates, firing shells, grape, 
and canister into the barbette, clearing the ramparts with boat 
guns from the tops, while the smaller and more agile vessels 
throw in shrapnel at shrapnel distance, clearing the parapets 
and dismounting the guns in barbette. The large ships should 



224 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

anchor with forty-five fathoms of chain with slip-ropes ; the 
smaller vessels to keep under way, and be constantly moving 
about, some to get above, and open a cross-fire ; the mortars to 
keep up a rapid and continuous fire, and to move up to a shorter 
range. 

" The objections to running hy the forts are these : It is not 
likely that any intelligent enemy would fail to place chain across 
above the forts, and raise such batteries as would protect them 
against our ships. Did we run the forts, we should leave an 
enemy in our rear, and the mortar vessels would have to be left 
behind. "We could not return to bring them up without going 
through a heavy and destructive fire. If the forts are run, part 
of the mortars should be towed along, which would render the 
progress of the vessels slow, against the strong current at that 
point. If the forts are first captured, the moral effect would be 
to close the batteries on the river and open the way to l!^ew 
Orleans ; whereas, if we don't succeed in taking them, we wiU 
have to fight our way up the river. Once having possession of 
the forts, New Orleans would be hermetically sealed, and we 
could repair damages, and go up on our own terms and in our 
own time. 

" IsTature points out the ' English Turn ' as the position to 
be strongly fortified, and it is there the enemy will most likely 
make his strongest stand and last effort to prevent our getting 
up. If this point is impassable, there is solid ground there, and 
troops can be brought up and landed below the forts and attack 
them in the rear, while the ships assail them on the front. The 
result will doubtless be a victory for us. If the ships can get 
by the forts and there are no obstructions above, then the plan 
should be, to push on to Kew Orleans every ship that can get 
up there, taking up as many of the mortar fleet as can be rapidly 
towed. An accurate reconnoissance should be made, and every 
kind of attainable information provided, before any movement 
is made. 

" Nothing has been said about a combined attack of army 
and navy. Such a thing is not only practicable, but, if time 
permitted, should be adopted. Fort St. Philip can be taken 



THE EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW ORLEANS. 225 

with two thousand men covered by the ships ; the ditch can be 
filled with fascines, and the wall is to be easily scaled with lad- 
ders. It can be attacked in front and rear. 
" Respectfully submitted, 

" David D. Pouter, Commander U. S. N." 

Immediately after the council, Farragut issued the following 
general order : 

" United States Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 

^^Mississippi River, April SO, 1862. 

" The flag-officer, having heard all the opinions expressed by 
the different commanders, is of the opinion that whatever is to 
be done will have to be done quickly, or we shall be again re- 
duced to a blockading squadron, without the means of carrying 
on the bombardment, as we have nearly expended all the shells 
and fuses and material for making cartridges. He has always 
entertained the same opinions which are expressed by Com- 
mander Porter ; that is, there are three modes of attack, and the 
question is, which is the one to be adopted ? His own oj)iiiion 
is, that a combination of two should be made, viz., the forts 
should be run, and when a force is once above the forts to pro- 
tect the troops, they should be landed at quarantine from the 
Gulf side by bringing them through the bayou, and then our 
forces should move up the river, mutually aiding each other as 
it can be done to advantage. 

"When, in the opinion of the flag-officer, the propitious 
time has arrived, the signal will be made to weigh, and advance 
to the conffict. If, in his opinion, at the time of arriving at 
the respective positions of the different divisions of the fleet, 
we have the advantage, he will make the signal for close action, 
No. 8, and abide the result — conquer, or be conquered — drop 
anchor or keep under way, as in his opinion is best. 

" Unless the signal above mentioned is made, it will be 
understood that the first order of sailing wiU be formed after 
leaving Fort St. Philip, and we will proceed up the river in 
accordance with the original opinion expressed. 



226 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

" The programme of the order of sailing accompanies this 
general order, and the commanders will hold themselves in 
readiness for the service as indicated. 

" D. G. Faeragut, 
" Flag-Officer "Western Gulf Blockading Squadron." 

Having decided to run by the forts, he confided to his 
trusted Fleet Captain, Bell, the dangerous mission of proceeding 
with the gunboats Pinola and Itasca to make a passage for his 
fleet through the chain obstructions. 

Lieutenant Caldwell and his party, with great coolness and 
bravery, boarded one of the hulks and succeeded in detaching 
the chains. They were accompanied by Mr. Krcehl, the inven- 
tor of a new submarine petard, which he placed under one of 
the hulks. But in the swift current it was difficult to keep the 
vessels still, and by a movement of the Pinola the wires con- 
necting it with the battery were snapped, so that it could not 
be exploded. However, a sufficient opening was made for the 
fleet to pass through, in spite of the heavy fire to which the 
party were subjected. 

A private letter written by Farragut next day (21st) is espe- 
cially interesting, in that it shows his affection for his friend 
Bell: 

" "We have been bombarding the forts for three or four days, 
but the current is running so strong that we cannot stem it suffi- 
ciently to do anything with our ships, so that I am now waiting 
a change of wind, which brings a slacker tide, and we shaU be 
enabled to run up. 

" We had a deserter from the fort yesterday, who says the 
mortars and shells have done great damage. I can not find out 
what [Confederate] naval officers are here, except John Wilkin- 
son. The deserter says Fort Pulaski is taken, and that Island 
No. Ten has been passed by the gunboats, but that the rebels 
beat us at Corinth. I hope to hear all about it by the Rhode 
Island, and much more from McClellan. 

" Captain Bell went last night to cut the chain across the 



THE EXPEDITION AGAINST NEW ORLEANS. 227 

river. I never felt sucli anxiety in my life as I did until his 
return. One of liis vessels got on shore, and I was fearful she 
would be captured. They kept up a tremendous fire on him ; 
but Porter diverted their fire with a heavy cannonade. They 
let the chain go, but the man sent to explode the petard did not 
succeed ; his wires broke. Bell would have burned the hulks, 
but the illumination would have given the enemy a chance to 
destroy his gunboat, which got aground. However, the chain 
was divided, and it gives us space enough to go through. I was 
as glad to see Bell on his return as if he had been my boy. I 
was up all night, and could not sleep until he got back to the 
ship." 



CHAPTER XIX. 

TPE EIVER FIGHT CAPTUEE OF THE CITY. 

Faeragut had made up his mind to run by the forts at the 
close of the fifth day's bombardment ; but the necessity of re- 
pairing damages to two of his vessels delayed him twenty-four 
hours longer. He had intended to lead the column in his flag- 
ship Hartford ; but in the final disposition he gave that post 
to Captain Theodorus Bailey, at his own earnest request, who 
hoisted his red flag on the gunboat Cayuga.* The order of 
sailing is shown in the accompanying diagram. 

As early as April 6th Farragut had reconnoitred the forts in 
broad daylight, going up within cannon-shot of Jackson in the 
Kennebec, where he sat in the cross-trees, glass in hand, till the 
rebel gunners began to get the range of his ship. The attempt 
to pass was to be made in the night, April 23-24 ; and, as the 
moon would rise about half past three o'clock in the morning, 
the fleet were warned to expect the signal for sailing at about 
two o'clock. In this, as in the case of nearly all important 
operations early in the war, the enemy were mysteriously ap- 
prised of what was to be done. On the 23d the forts hardly 
fired a shot all day, though Porter kept up a terrific bombard- 
ment. In answer to a dispatch from General Lovell in New 
Orleans, that day. General Duncan, commanding Fort Jackson, 
wrote : " Heavy and continued bombardment all night, and still 
progressing. ISTo further casualties, except two men slightly 
wounded. God is certainly protecting us. We are still cheer- 
ful, and have an abiding faith in our ultimate success. We are 
making repairs as best we can. Our barbette guns are still in 
working order. Most of them have been disabled at times. 

* Captain Bailey's ship, the Colorado, being unable to cross the bar, many of 
her oflScers and crew were distributed through the attacking squadron. 







BATTERY 



Ftest Division— Zeadzn.fl' uruler command of 
Captain 'Ikeodorus Bailey. 

1. Cayuga, Flag-Gunboat, Lieut. -Com. Harrison. 

2. Pensacola, Captain H. W. Morris. 

3. Mississippi, Captain M. Smith. 

4. Oneida, Commander 8. P. Lee. 

5. Varuna, Commander C. 

6. Katahdin, Lieut.-Com G. H. Preble. 

7. Kineo, Lieut.-Com. Ransom. 
S. Wissaliickon, Lieut.-Com. A. N. Smitli. 

Center Division — Admiral Farragut. 
9. Hartford, Commander Wainwright. 

10. Brooklyn, Captain T. T. Craven. 

11. Richmond, Commander J. Alden. 

Third Division— Co/><aiw. H. H. Bell. 

12. Sciota, Lieut.-Com. Edward Donaldson. 
18. Iroquois, Com John De Camp. 

14. Kennebec, Lieut.-Com. John H. Russell. 

15. Pinola, Lieut.-Com. P. Crosby. 

16. Itasca, Lieut.-Com. C. H. B. Caldwell. 

17. Winona, Lieut.-Com. E. T. Nichols. 

18. Commander Porter's Gunboats. 

19. Sloop Portsmouth, Commander S. Swartwout. 



Passage of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, April 24, 1862-Order of Attack. 



THE EIVER FIGHT— CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 229 

The health of the troops continues good. Twenty-five thousand 
[in reality, about five thousand] thirteen-inch shells have been 
fired by the enemy, one thousand of which fell in the fort. 
They must soon exhaust themselves ; if not, we can stand it as 
long as they can." 

At sunset the wind had died away, except a slight breeze 
from the south, and there was a haze upon the water. Lieu- 
tenant Commanding Caldwell was sent up in the Itasca to ex- 
amine the obstructions and find whether the passage was still 
open. At eleven o'clock he gave the signal that it was, and 
about the same time the enemy opened fire on him, sent down 
burning rafts, and lighted the immense piles of wood which 
they had prepared on the shore near the ends of the chain. 

Soon after midnight the hammocks were stowed, and the 
work of quietly clearing the ships for action began. At five 
minutes before two o'clock the signal to weigh anchor — two 
ordinary red lights at the peak of the flag-ship — was displayed ; 
but it was half past three, the hour of moonrise, before all was 
ready. In the light of the blazing rafts and bonfires, moon or 
no moon made little difference now. 

Porter with his gunboats, and Swartwout in the Portsmouth, 
had been directed to move up stream nearer to Fort Jackson, 
and engage its water battery while the ships were going by, 
which they promptly did. 

Captain Bailey led off with his division of eight vessels, 
whose objective was Fort St. Philip, and all of them passed 
through the opening in the cable. Both forts opened fire upon 
his flag-ship, the Cayuga, soon after she had passed the hulks. 
Five minutes later she was pouring grape and canister into St. 
Philip, and in ten minutes more she had passed beyond range 
of that work, to find herself surrounded by eleven rebel gun- 
boats. Three of them attempted to board her at once. An 
eleven-inch shot was sent through one of them at the close range 
of thirty yards, and she immediately ran aground and burned 
up. The Parrott gun on the forecastle drove off another ; and 
Bailey was preparing to close with the third, when the Oneida 
and Yaruna, which had run in close to St. Philip, thus avoiding 



230 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

the elevated guns of the fort, while they swept its bastions with 
grape and shrapnel, came up to the assistance of the Cayuga. 
The Oneida ran under full steam into one of the rebel ships, 
cut her nearly in two, and left her to float down stream a help- 
less wreck. She fired right and left into the others, and then 
went to the assistance of the Yaruna, which was ashore on the 
left bank, hard pressed by the Governor Moore and another, 
said to be the Manassas. The Varuna was rammed by them 
both, and sank at the end of fifteen minutes ; but in that time 
it is claimed that she put three eight-inch shells into the Gover- 
nor Moore, and so crippled her with solid shot that she surren- 
dered to the Oneida, and drove five eight-inch shells into another, 
which sent her ashore. Still another of her shells exploded the 
boiler of a rebel steamer. The Pensacola steamed steadily but 
slowly by, firing with great deliberation and regularity, doing 
special execution with her eleven-inch pivot gun and her rifled 
eighty-pounder. But this was not done without receiving a 
heavy fire in return, and her losses (thirty-seven men) were the 
greatest of any in the fleet. She sent her boats to the assistance 
of the sinking Yaruna. The Mississippi was fought regularly 
in line, like the Pensacola, but escaped with light losses. She 
encountered the ram Manassas, which gave her a severe cut on 
the port quarter below the water-line, and disabled her ma- 
chinery. But she riddled the ram with shot, boarded her, and 
set her on fire, so that she drifted below the forts and blew up. 
The Katahdin ran close to the forts, steamed by rapidly, and 
got near the head of the line, where she put a few good shots 
into the iron-clad Louisiana, The Kineo ran by close under St. 
Phihp, and then assisted the Mississippi in handling the ram 
Manassas ; but she was afterward attacked by three rebel gun- 
boats at once, and, her pivot-gun carriage becoming injured, she 
withdrew and continued on up stream. The Wissahickon ran 
ashore before she reached the forts, got off, passed them, and 
above ran ashore again. Most of these operations were carried 
on in the darkness occasioned by the thick smoke, lighted, how- 
ever, by the lurid flashes of more than two hundred guns. 

The Hartford, bearing Flag-Officer Farragut, led the second 



THE RIVEK FIGHT— CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 231 

division of the fleet. She was under way at 3 : 30 a. m., and 
twenty-five minutes later opened with her bow guns on Fort 
Jackson, receiving a heavy fire from both forts. Twenty min- 
utes thereafter, in attempting to avoid a fire-raft, she grounded 
on a shoal near St. Philip. At the same time the ram Manassas 
pushed a raft upon her port quarter, and in an instant she was 
on fire. A part of the crew went to " fire quarters " and soon 
subdued the flames, while the working of her guns was steadily 
continued, and she was then backed off into deep water. This 
movement turned the ship's head down stream, and it was with 
some difficulty that she was turned around against the current ; 
but this was finally accomplished, and she continued to steam 
up the river, firing into several of the enemy's vessels as she 
passed. Among these was a steamer full of men, apparently a 
boarding-party. She was making straight for the Hartford 
when Captain Broome's gun, manned by marines, planted a 
shell in her, which exploded, and she disappeared. Watson 
remarks that the Admiral stood during this critical period 
coolly giving his orders and watching the ship slowly turn, 
referring occasionally to a Httle compass which was attached 
to his watch-chain, though most of the time during the engage- 
ment he was forward observing the conflict. The Brooklyn 
got out of her course, ran over one of the hulks, and became 
entangled in the raft, where she suffered a raking fire from Fort 
Jackson, and a pretty severe one from St. Philip. Scarcely was 
she disentangled and on her way up stream when she was butted 
by the Manassas, which, however, had not headway enough to 
damage her much, and slid off in the darkness. Then she was 
attacked by a large rebel steamer, but gave her the port broad- 
side at fifty yards and set her on fire. Groping along through 
a black cloud of smoke from a fire-raft, she came close abreast 
of St. Philip, into which she poured such tremendous broadsides 
that by the flashes the gunners were seen running to shelter, 
and for the time the fort was silenced. The Brooklyn then 
passed on, and engaged several of the enemy's gunboats at short 
range. One of these, the Warrior, came under the port broad- 
side, when eleven five-second shells were instantly planted in 



232 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

her, all of which exploded, setting her on fire, and she was run 
ashore. The Brooklyn was under fire an hour and a half, and 
her losses were almost as severe as those of the Pensacola. The 
Richmond, a slow ship, brought up the rear of the second divi- 
sion, steaming steadily and working her guns with great regu- 
larity. Her commander attributed her small losses mainly to 
the complete provision of spKnter-nettings. 

The Sciota, carrying Fleet-Captain Bell, led the third divi- 
sion. She steamed by the forts, firing as she passed, and above 
them burned two steamboats. She sent a boat's crew to receive 
the surrender of an armed steamer, but it was found to be fast 
aground. The Iroquois passed within fifty yards of Fort Jack- 
son without injury, but was subjected to a terrible raking cross- 
fire from St. Philip, and was also raked by the McCrea with 
grape-shot and langrage. She drove off the McCrea with an 
eleven-inch shell and a stand of canister, and afterward passed 
through a group of rebel gunboats, giving each a broadside of 
shell as she went by. Her losses were heavy. The Pinola 
passed up in line, firing her eleven-inch pivot-gun and Paa'rott 
rifles at the flashes of Fort Jackson's guns, which at first were 
all that could be seen; then she emerged from the cloud of 
smoke, stood over toward St. Philip, and in the light of the 
blazing rafts received the discharges of its forty guns. She was 
the last vessel that passed the forts, and got up in time to put 
one or two shells into the gunboats of the enemy. The Kenne- 
bec got out of her course, became entangled in the rafts, and 
did not get free till it was broad daylight and too late to attempt 
a passage. The Itasca, arriving in front of Fort Jackson, re- 
ceived a shot in her boiler, which made it impossible for her to 
proceed, and was turned down stream. The Winona got astray 
among the hulks, and lost so much time that when she came 
within range of Fort Jackson it was daylight, and the fleet had 
passed on. The first three or four shots from the fort swept 
away the entire crew of her rifled gun, save one man. * Still she 
kept on, until the lower battery of St. Philip opened on her at 
less than point-blank range ; this was too much for her, and she 
prudently headed down stream and ran out of the fire. 



THE EIYER FIGHT— CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 233 

Thus was accomplislied a feat in naval warfare wliieh had 
no precedent, and which is still without a parallel except the 
one furnished by Farragut himself, two years later, at Mobile. 
Starting with seventeen wooden vessels, he had passed with all 
but three of them, against the swift current of a river but half 
a mile wide, between two powerful earthworks which had long 
been prepared for him, his course impeded by blazing rafts, and 
immediately thereafter had met the enemy's fleet of fifteen 
vessels, two of them iron-clad, and either captured or destroyed 
every one of them.* And all this with a loss of but one ship 
from his own squadron. Probably few naval men would have 
believed that this work could have been done so effectually, even 
with iron-clads. 

The magnitude of this novel enterprise was scarcely real- 
ized at the Korth when the first news was received. It was 
heralded that Farragut had simply " run by the forts," and there 
was an evident desire on the part of some to behttle the impor- 
tance of the circumstance, although it was afterward acknowl- 
edged, by both Federal and Confederate reports, that he had 
passed under a terrific fire. An ofiicer who participated in the 
engagement is of the opinion that, had the passage been at- 
tempted in broad daylight, the Union fleet would have sustained 
a fearful loss. 

Captain Bailey, in the Cayuga, preceding the flag-ship up 
the river to the Quarantine station, captured the Chalmette regi- 
ment, encamped on the river bank. 

On the morning of the 25th, the Cayuga still leading in the 

* Captain John Wilkinson, who was at this time executive officer of the iron-clad 
Louisiana, says, in his " Narrative of a Blockade Runner " : " Most of us belonging 
to that little naval fleet knew that Admiral Farragut would dare to attempt what 
any man would ; and, for my own part, I had not forgotten that while I was under 
his command during the Mexican war he had proposed to Commodore Perry, then 
commanding the Gulf squadron, and urged upon him, the enterprise of capturing the 
strong fort of San Juan de UUoa at Vera Cruz by boarding. Ladders were to be 
constructed, and triced up along the attacking ships' masts, and the ships to be 
towed alongside the walls by the steamers of the squadron. Here was a much 
grander prize to be fought for, and every day of delay was strengthening hia adver- 



234 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

progress up stream, the Chalmette batteries, three miles below 
New Orleans, were encountered. The Hartford and Brooklyn, 
followed by several others, coming up rapidly, soon silenced 
them — and now the city was fairly under Union guns. This 
result had cost the fleet thirty-seven men killed, and one hun- 
dred and forty-seven wounded. 

Farragut appointed eleven o'clock of the morning of the 
26th as the hour " for all the officers and crews of the fleet to 
return thanks to Almighty God for His great goodness and 
mercy in permitting us to pass through the events of the last 
two days with so little loss of life and blood." 

In this first flush of victory he wrote : 

" Off New Oeleans, Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
''April 25, 1862. 

" My Deaeest "Wife and Boy : I am so agitated that 1 can 
scarcely write, and shall only tell you that it has pleased Al- 
mighty God to preserve my life through a fire such as the world 
has scarcely known. I shall return properly my thanks, as well 
as those of our fleet, for His goodness and mercy. He has per- 
mitted me to make a name for my dear boy's inheritance, as 
well as for my comfort and that of my family. We lost about 
thirty killed and ninety wounded. I lost no officers. Jim * 
escaped, but the other two servants were wounded. I took the 
city at meridian to-day. Such vandalism I never witnessed as 
the destruction of property. All the beautiful steamers and 
ships were set on fire and consumed. Captain Bell is well. He 
acted his part nobly. In fact, all the officers did their duty to 
my admiration, which I will notice at a more convenient season. 
I have only time to thank God and bless you both. Qive my 
love to the family and all the neighbors. 

" D. G. F." . 

About noon of the 25th Farragut sent Captain Bailey ashore 
to demand of the Mayor the unconditional surrender of the 
city, and that the Louisiana State flag be taken down from the 

* His negro servant. 



THE KIYER FIGHT— CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 235 

City Hall. Bailey raised the stars and stripes on the Mint, but 
the Mayor refused to haul down his flag or make a formal sur- 
render. A most extraordinary correspondence ensued, in which 
the open-hearted but straightforward and determined character 
of FaiTagut's letters was in striking contrast with the disin- 
genuous evasions and protests of the Mayor. It is said that the 
latter were written at the dictation of Pierre Soule, the veteran 
politician; the correspondence -therefore assumes somewhat of 
a permanent interest. Farragut was not only master of the 
situation by virtue of his guns, but even on paper his dignified 
demeanor calmly overrides all the finessing of the ex-Senator. 
The following is the correspondence, omitting a few unimpor- 
tant notes : 

'* United States Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 

"At anchor off the City of New Orleans, 
''April 26, 1862. 

" Sm : Upon my arrival before your city I had the honor to 
send to your honor Captain Bailey, United States N^avy, second 
in command of the expedition, to demand of you the surrender 
of New Orleans to me, as the representative of the Government 
of the United States. Captain Bailey reported to me the result 
of an interview with yourself and the military authorities. It 
must occur to your honor that it is not within the province of a 
naval officer to assume the duties of a military commandant. I 
came here to reduce New Orleans to obedience to the laws of, 
and to vindicate the offended majesty of the Government of, 
the United States. The rights of persons and property shall be 
secure. I therefore demand of you, as its representative, the 
unqualified surrender of the city, and that the emblem of sov- 
ereignty of the United States be hoisted over the City Hall, 
Mint, and Custom-House by meridian this day, and that all flags 
and other emblems of sovereignty other than those of the United 
States shall be removed from all the public buildings by that 
hour. I particularly request that you shall exercise your au- 
thority to quell disturbances, restore order, and call upon all the 
good people of New Orleans to return at once to their vocations ; 
and I particularly demand that no persons shall be molested in 
16 



236 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FARKAGCTT. 

person or property for professing sentiments of loyalty to their 
Government. I shall speedily and severely pimisli any person 
or persons who shall commit such outrages as were witnessed 
yesterday — armed men firing upon helpless women and children 
for giving expression to their pleasure at witnessing the old flag. 
" I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Fakeagut, 
" Flag-Offieer, "Western Gulf Squadron. 
*' His Excellency the Mayor of the City of New Orleans." 

" Your honor will please give directions that no flag but that 
of the United States will be permitted to fly in the presence of 
this fleet, so long as it has the power to prevent it ; and, as all 
displays of that kind may be the cause of bloodshed, I have to 
request that you will give this communication as general a cir- 
culation as possible." 

" Mayoralty of New Orleans, City Hall, April 26, 1862. 

"Sir: In pursuance of the resolution which he thought 
proper to take, out of regard for the lives of the women and 
children who still crowd this great metropolis, General Lovell 
has evacuated it with his troops, and restored back to me the 
administration of its government and the custody of its honor. 

" I have, in concert with the city fathers, considered the de- 
mand you made of me on yesterday of an unconditional surren- 
der of the city, coupled with a requisition to hoist up the flag 
of the United States on the public edifices, and to haul down 
that which still floated to the breeze from the dome of this hall ; 
and it becomes my duty to transmit to you the answer which 
the universal sentiment of my constituency, no less than the 
promptings of my own heart, dictate to me on this sad and 
solemn occasion. 

" The city is without means of defense, and utterly destitute 
of the force and material that might enable it to resist the over- 
powering armament displayed in sight of it. 

" I am no military man, and possess no authority beyond 
that of executing the municipal laws of the city of l^&w Or- 
leans. It would be presumptuous in me to attempt to lead an 



THE EIYER FIGHT— CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 237 

army to the field, if I had one at my command, and I know still 
less how to surrender an undefended place, held, as this is, at 
the mercy of your gunners and mouths of your mortars. To 
surrender such a place were an idle and unmeaning ceremony. 
The city is yours by the power of brutal force, and not by any 
choice or consent of its inhabitants. It is for you to determine 
what shall be the fate that awaits her. 

" As to the hoisting of any flag than the flag of our own 
adoption and allegiance, let me say to you, sir, that the man 
lives not in our midst whose hand and heart would not be 
palsied at the mere thought of such an act, nor could I find in 
my entire constituency so wretched and desperate a renegade as 
would dare to profane with his hand the sacred emblem of our 
aspirations. 

" Sir, you have manifested sentiments which would become 
one engaged in a better cause than that to which you have de- 
voted your sword. I doubt not but that they spring from a 
noble though deluded nature, and I know how to appreciate the 
emotions which inspire them. You will have a gallant people 
to administer during your occupation of this city ; a people sen- 
sitive of all that can in the least affect its dignity and self-respect. 
Pray, sir, do not allow them to be insulted by the interference 
of such as have rendered themselves odious and contemptible 
by the dastardly desertion of the mighty struggle in which we 
are engaged, nor of such as might remind them too painfully 
that they are the conquered and you the conquerors. Peace and 
order may be preserved without a resort to measures which could 
not fail to wound their susceptibilities and fire up their passions. 

" The obligations which I shall assume in their name shall 
be religiously complied with. You may trust their honor, though 
you might not count on their submission to unmerited wrong. 

" In conclusion, I beg you to understand that the people of 
New Orleans, while unable at this moment to prevent you from 
occupying this city, do not transfer their allegiance from the 
Government of their choice to one which they have deliberately 
repudiated, and that they yield simply that obedience which the 
conqueror is enabled to extort from the conquered. 



238 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

" Since wi'iting the above, wliicli is an answer to your verbal 
communication of yesterday, I have received a written com- 
munication, to which I shall reply before twelve o'clock m., if 
possible to prepare an answer in that time. 
" Kespectf uUy, 

" John T. Monroe, Mayor. 
"Flag-Officer D. G. Faeeagut, 

" United States Flag-Ship Hartford." 

" United States Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 

"At anchor off the City of New Orleans, 
''April 28, 1862. 

" Sm : Your communication of the 26th instant has been 
received, together with that of the City Council. 

" I deeply regret to see, both by their contents and the con- 
tinued display of the flag of Louisiana on the Court-House, a 
determination on the part of the city authorities not to haul it 
down. Moreover, when my officers and men were sent on shore 
to communicate with the authorities and to hoist the United 
States flag on the Custom-House, with the strictest orders not to 
use their arms unless assailed, they were insulted in the grossest 
manner, and the flag which had been hoisted by my orders on 
the Mint was pulled down and dragged through the streets. 
All of which go to show that the fire of this fleet may be drawn 
upon the city at any moment, and in such an event the levee 
would, in all probability, be cut by the shells, and an amount of 
distress ensue to the innocent population which I have hereto- 
fore endeavored to assure you that I desired by all means to 
avoid. The election is therefore with you ; but it becomes my 
duty to notify you to remove the women and children from the 
city within forty-eight hours, if I have rightly understood your 
' determination. 

" Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Faekagijt, 
" Flag-Officer, Western Gulf Squadron. 

" His Honor the Mayoe and City Council 
of the City of New Orleans." 



THE EIVER FIGHT— CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 239 

"Mayoralty of New Oeleans, City Hall, April 26, 1862. 

" Sm : Tour communication of this morning is tlie first inti- 
mation I ever had that it was by ' your strict orders ' that the 
United States flag was attempted to be hoisted upon certain of 
our public edifices by officers sent on shore to communicate with 
the authorities. The officers who approached me in your name 
disclosed no such orders, and intimated no such designs on yom* 
part ; nor could I have for a moment entertained the remotest 
suspicion that they could have been invested with powers to 
enter on such an errand while the negotiations for a surrender 
between you and the city authorities were still pending. The 
interference of any force under your command, as long as these 
negotiations were not brought to a close, could not be viewed 
by me otherwise than as a flagrant violation of those courtesies, 
if not of the absolute rights, which prevail between belligerents 
under such circumstances. My views and my sentiments in 
reference to such conduct remain unchanged. 

" You now renew the demands made in your former com- 
munication, and you insist on their being complied with, uncon- 
ditionally, under a threat of bombardment within forty-eight 
hours ; and you notify me to remove the women and children 
from the city, that they may be protected from your shells. 

" Sir, you can not but know that there is no possible exit 
from this city for a population which still exceeds in number 
one hundred and forty thousand, and you must therefore be 
aware of the utter inanity of such a notification. Our women 
and children can not escape from your shells, if it be your plea- 
sure to murder them on a question of mere etiquette. But, if 
they could, there are but few among them who would consent 
to desert their families and their homes, and the graves of their 
relatives in so awful a moment. They would bravely stand the 
sight of your shells rolling over the bones of those who were 
once dear to them, and would deem that they died not inglori- 
ously by the side of the tombs erected by their piety to the 
memory of departed relatives. 

" You are not satisfied with the peaceable possession of an 
undefended city, opposing no resistance to your guns, because 



240 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

of its bearing its doom with sometliing of manliness and dignity, 
and you wish to humble and disgrace us by the performance of 
an act against which our nature rebels. This satisfaction you 
can not expect to obtain at our hands. 

" We will stand your bombardment, unarmed and undefend- 
ed as we are. The civilized world will consign to indelible in- 
famy the heart that will conceive the deed and the hand that 
will dare to consummate it. 

" Eespectf uUy, 

" John T. Monroe, Mayor. 
" Mr. Faeragut, Flag-Officer of the United States fleet 
in front of the City of New Orleans." 

"United States Flag-Ship Hartford, 

"At anchor off the City of New Orleans, 
^' April 29, 1862. 
" SiE : The forts St. Philip and Jackson having surrendered, 
and all the military defenses of the city being captured or aban- 
doned, you are required, as the sole representative of any sup- 
posed authority in the city, to haul down and suppress every 
ensign and symbol of government, whether State or Confederate, 
except that of the United States. I am now about to raise the 
flag of the United States upon the Custom-House, and you will 
see that it is respected with all the civil power of the city. 

" I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient 
servant, 

" D. G. Faeragut, 
" Flag-Officer, Western Gulf Squadron. 
"His Honor the Mayor of the City of New Orleans." 

"United States Flag-Ship Hartford, 

" At anchor off the City of New Orleans, 
''April SO, 1862. 
" Gentlemen : I informed you, in my communication of the 
28th of April, that your determination, as I understood it, was 
not to haul down the flag of Louisiana on the City Hall, and 
that my officers and men were treated with insult and rudeness 
when they landed, even with a flag of truce, to communicate 



THE EIVER FIGHT— CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 241 

witli the authorities, etc., and if such was to be the determined 
course of the people the fire of the vessels might at any moment 
be drawn upon the city. This you have thought proper to con- 
strue into a determination on my part to murder your women 
and childi-en, and made your letter so offensive that it will ter- 
minate our intercourse ; and, so soon as General Butler arrives 
with his forces, I shall turn over the charge of the city to him 
and resume my naval duties. 

" Yery respectfully, etc., 

" D. G. Faeragut, 
" Flag-Officer, Western Gulf Squadron. 
"His Honor the Mayor aijd City Coijnoil of New Orleans." 

At noon of the 26th, during divine service, officers and 
crews were startled by the discharge of a howitzer in the main- 
top of the Pensacola. The man aloft had seen four men mount 
to the roof of the Mint and tear down the United States flag, 
and he had instantly fired the gun, which was loaded with grape 
and trained on the flag-staff. The leader of these desperate fel- 
lows, who thus imperiled the lives and property of their own 
friends and neighbors, was, by order of General Butler, tried 
for the offense, early in June, and being found guilty was 
hanged for it ; the gallows being a beam and rope thi-ust out of 
one of the highest windows of the Mint. 

On his arrival at Quarantine, Farragut had sent Captain 
Boggs (who had commanded the Yaruna) through in a boat by 
the bayous, to inform General Butler and Commander Porter 
of his success. The Captain was twenty-six hours in getting 
through. But General Butler, on board the Saxon, had fol- 
lowed the fleet up to within range of the forts, and thus had 
witnessed the passage of the ships. As soon as he was assured 
of Farragut's success he hurried back to his troops. They ren- 
dezvoused at Sable Island, twelve miles in the rear of Fort St. 
Philip, whence they were earned up on transports and landed 
at a point five miles above that work. At the same time Com- 
mander Porter had sent six of his mortar boats to the bay behind 
Fort Jackson, where they arrived on the morning of the 2'7th, 



242 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

thus making tlie investment comj)lete. That night two hundred 
and fifty of the garrison of Fort Jackson came out and surren- 
dered themselves to the Union pickets. 

"While Farragut was passing the forts, Porter had been 
pounding away at them with his mortar boats and their atten- 
dant steamers — ^the Harriet Lane, Westfield, Owasco, Clifton, 
and Miami. On the 24th he demanded a surrender, but was 
refused. For three days there was little or no firing on either 
side. During this time the enemy were busy setting uj) some 
of their dismounted guns, and transferring others to the iron- 
clad floating battery Louisiana. 

On the 28th the commander of the forts. General Duncan, 
learning that 'New Orleans was in the possession of Farragut, 
accepted the terms offered by Porter. While the articles of 
capitulation were being drawn up and signed, on board the 
Harriet Lane, and flags of truce were flying, the rebel naval 
officers, after destroying three of theu' four remaining vessels, 
set fire to the Louisiana and cast her adrift. Fortunately, she 
exploded before she reached the Union flotilla; otherwise. 
Porter says, she would have destroyed every one of his ships. 
After receiving the surrender of the forts he went up the 
river, captured the naval officers who were supposed to have 
been guilty of this perfidious act, and put them in close con- 
finement, and they were sent ITorth, to be dealt with as the 
Government might see fit. Commodore John K. Mitchell, 
the highest of rank among these officers, sent a letter to 
Farragut, justifying himself for destroying his vessels, and 
excusing his apparent attempt to blow up Porter's flotilla, in 
this wise : 

" Lieutenant "Whittle was sent in a boat with a flag of truce, 
to inform Commander Porter that in firing the Louisiana her 
magazine had not been effectually drowned, and that, though 
efforts were made to drown the charges in the guns, they may 
not have succeeded. This information was given in considera- 
tion of the negotiations then pending under flag of truce between 
him and Fort Jackson ; but while the message was on its way 



THE EIVER FIGHT— CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 243 

the explosion took place — a fact that does not affect the honor- 
able purposes intended bj it." 

The Confederate naval officers claimed, in justification of 
their action, that they were no party to the flag of truce, nor 
were they included in the terms of surrender of the forts. Gen- 
eral Duncan treating only for the garrisons under his command, 
and expressly disclaiming all connection with the l^avy. The 
United States Government was disposed to treat these officers 
rigorously; but matters were explained in a correspondence 
which ensued between the Secretary of the I^avy and Commo- 
dore Mitchell, and the restrictions were removed. 

On the 29th of April Farragut sent a force on shore consist- 
ing of a battalion of two hundred and fifty marines under Cap- 
tains Broome and Eamsey, and two howitzers manned by sailors 
from the Hartford, in charge of Midshipmen J. H. Reed and 
Hazeltine — all under command of Captain Henry Bell. This 
Kttle force marched through the streets filled with an exasper- 
ated populace, and proceeded to the Custom-House, Mint, and 
City Hall, taking formal possession and replacing the Confed- 
erate flag by that of the United States. They held possession 
until the arrival of General Butler and his troops, on the even- 
ing of May 1st, when Farragut turned the city over to him. 

The official report of this famous battle, by the officer who 
planned it in all its essential details and fought it through to a 
brilliant success, has a strong and pecuhar interest of its own ; 
for which reason it is here produced in full, though some of its 
particulars have already been related. 

" United States Flag-Ship Hartford, 

"At anchor off the City of New Orleans, 
"■May 6, 1862. 

" Sm : I have the honor herewith to forward my report, in 
detail, of the battle of JSTew Orleans. On the 23d of April I 
made all my arrangements for the attack on, and passage of, 
Forts Jackson and St. Philip. 

" Every vessel was as weU prepared as the ingenuity of her 



244 THE LITE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

commander and officers could suggest, both for the preservation 
of life and of the vessel, and perhaps there is not on record such 
a dis]3lay of ingenuity as has been evinced in this little squadron. 
The first was by the engineer of the Richmond, Mr. Moore, by 
suggesting that the sheet cables be stopped up and down on the 
sides in the line of the engines, which was immediately adopted 
by all the vessels. Then each commander made his own ar- 
rangements for stopping the shot from penetrating the boilers 
or machinery, that might come in forward or abaft, by ham- 
mocks, coal, bags of ashes, bags of sand, clothes-bags, and, in 
fact, every device imaginable. The bulwarks were lined with 
hammocks by some, with sj)linter nettings made of ropes by 
others. Some rubbed their vessels over with mud, to make 
their ships less visible, and some whitewashed their decks, to 
make things more visible by night during the fight, all of which 
you will find mentioned in the reports of the commanders. In 
the afternoon I visited each ship, in order to know positively 
that each commander understood my orders for the attack, and 
to see that all was in readiness. I had looked to their efficiency 
before. Every one appeared to understand his orders well, 
and looked forward to the conflict with firmness, but with 
anxiety, as it was to be in the night, or at two o'clock a. m. 

" I had previously sent Captain Bell, with the petard man, 
with Lieutenant Commanding Crosby, in the Pinola, and Lieu- 
tenant Commanding Caldwell, in the Itasca, to break the chain 
which crossed the river and was supported by eight hulks, 
which were strongly moored. This duty was not thoroughly 
performed, in consequence of the failure to ignite the petards 
with the galvanic battery, and the great strength of the current. 
Still it was a success, and, under the circumstances, a highly 
meritorious one. 

" The vessel boarded by Lieutenant Commanding Caldwell 
appears to have had her chains so secured that they could be 
cast loose, which was done by that officer, thereby making an 
opening sufficiently large for the ships to pass through. It 
was all done under a heavy fire and at a great hazard to the 
vessel, for the particulars of which I refer you to Captain Bell's 



THE RIVER FIGHT— CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 245 

report. Upon tlie night preceding the attack, however, I dis- 
patched Lieutenant Commanding Caldwell to make an exami- 
nation, and to see that the passage was still clear, and to make 
me a signal to that effect, which he did at an early hour. The 
enemy commenced sending down fire-rafts and lighting their 
fires on the shore opposite the chain about the same time, which 
drew their fire on Lieutenant Commanding Caldwell, but with- 
out injury. At about five minutes of two o'clock a. m., April 
24th, signal was made to get under way (two ordinary red lights, 
BO as not to attract the attention of the enemy), but owing to 
the great difficulty in purchasing their anchors, the Pensacola 
and some of the other vessels were not under way until half-past 
three. We then advanced in two columns. Captain Bailey lead- 
ing the right in the gunboat CayiTga, Lieutenant Commanding 
Harrison, he having been assigned to the first division of gun- 
boats, which was to attack Fort St. Philip, in conjunction with 
the second division of ships, and the Hartford the left ; Fleet- 
Captain Bell leading the second division of gunboats in the 
Sciota; Lieutenant Commanding Donaldson to assist the first 
division of ships to attack Fort Jackson, as will be shown by the 
general order and diagram sent herewith. The enemy's lights, 
while they discovered us to them, were, at the same time, guides 
to us. We soon passed the barrier chains, the right column 
taking Fort St. Philip, and the left Fort Jackson. The fire 
became general, the smoke dense, and we had nothing to aim 
at but the fiash of their guns ; it was very difficult to distinguish 
friends from foes. Captain Porter had, by arrangement, moved 
up to a certain point on the Fort Jackson side with his gun- 
boats, and I. had assigned the same post to Caj)tain Swartwout, 
in the Portsmouth, to engage the water batteries to the south- 
ward and eastward of Fort Jackson, while his mortar vessels 
poured a terrific fire of shells into it. I discovered a fire-raft 
coming down upon us, and in attempting to avoid it ran the ship 
on shore, and the ram Manassas, which I had not seen, lay on the 
opposite side of it, and pushed it down upon us. Our ship 
was soon on fire haK-way up to her tops, but we backed off, and, 
through the good organization of our fire department, and the 



246 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

great exertions of Captain Wainwriglit and his first lieutenant, 
officers, and crew, tlie fire was extinguished. In the mean time 
our battery was never silent, but poured its missiles of death 
into Fort St. Philip, opposite to which we had got by this time, 
and it was silenced, with the exception of a gun now and then. 
By this time the enemy's gunboats, some thirteen in number, 
besides two iron-clad rams, the Manassas and Louisiana, had be- 
come more visible. We took them in hand, and, in the course 
of a short time, destroyed eleven of them. "We were now fairly 
past the forts, and the victory was ours, but still here and there 
a gunboat made resistance. Two of them had attacked the 
Yaruna, which vessel, by her greater speed, was much in ad- 
vance of us ; they ran into her and caused her to sink, but not 
before she had destroyed her adversaries, and their wrecks now 
lie side by side, a monument to the gallantry of Captain Boggs, 
his officers, and crew. It was a kind of guerilla; they were 
fighting in all directions. Captains Bailey and Bell, who were 
in command of the first and second divisions of gunboats, were 
as active in rendering assistance in every direction as lay in their 
power. Just as the scene appeared to be closing, the ram Ma- 
nassas was seen coming up under full speed to attack us. I 
directed Captain Smith, in the Mississippi, to turn and run her 
down ; the order was instantly obeyed, by the Mississippi turn- 
ing and going at her at full speed. Just as we expected to see 
the ram annihilated, when within fifty yards of each other, she 
put her helm hard aport, dodged the Mississippi, and ran ashore. 
The Mississippi poured two broadsides into her, and sent her 
drifting down the river a total wreck. Thus closed our morn- 
ing's fight. 

"The Department will perceive that after the organization 
and arrangements had been made, and we had fairly entered 
into the fight, the density of the smoke from guns and fire-rafts, 
and the scenes passing on board our own ship and around us 
(for it was as if the artillery of heaven were playing upon the 
earth), it was impossible for the Flag-Officer to see how each 
vessel was conducting itself, and can only judge by the final 
results and their special reports, which are herewith inclosed; 



THE KIVER FIGHT— CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 24:7 

but I feel that I can say with truth that it has rarely been the 
lot of a commander to be supported by officers of more indom- 
itable courage or higher professional merit. 

" Captain Bailey, who had preceded me up to the Quarantine 
station, had captured the Chalmette regiment, Colonel Szyman- 
ski ; and, not knowing what to do with them, as every moment 
was a great loss to me, I paroled both officers and men, and took 
away all their arms, munitions of war, and public property, and 
ordered them to remain where they were until the next day. I 
sent some of the gunboats to precede me up the river, to cut the 
telegraph wires in different places. 

" It now became me to look around for my little fleet, and 
to my regret I found that three were missing — the Itasca, 
"Winona, and Kennebec. Various were the speculations as to 
their fate, whether they had been sunk on the passage or had 
put back. I therefore determined immediately to send Captain 
Boggs, whose vessel was now sunk, through the Quarantine 
bayou, around to Commander Porter, telling him of our safe 
arrival, and to demand the surrender of the forts, and endea- 
vor to get some tidings of the missing vessels. I also sent a 
dispatch by him to General Butler, informing him that the way 
was clear for him to land his forces through the Quarantine 
bayou, in accordance with previous arrangements, and that I 
should leave gunboats there to protect him against the enemy, 
who, I now perceived, had three or four gunboats left at the 
forts — the Louisiana, an iron-clad battery of sixteen guns ; the 
McCrea, very similar in. appearance to one of our gunboats, and 
armed very much in the same way ; the Defiance, and a river 
steamer transport. 

" We then proceeded up to 'New Orleans, leaving the Wissa- 
hickon and Kineo to protect the landing of the General's troops. 
Owing to the slowness of some of the vessels, and our want of 
knowledge of the river, we did not reach the EngHsh Turn until 
about 10 : 30 a. m. on the 25th ; but all the morning I had seen 
abimdant evidence of the panic which had seized the people in 
New Orleans. Cotton-loaded ships on fire came floating down, 
and working implements of every kind, such as are used in 



248 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

ship-yards. The destruction of property was awfuh We soon 
descried the new earthwork forts on the old lines on both shores. 
We now formed and advanced in the same order, two lines, each 
line taking its respective work. Captain Bailey was still far in 
advance, not having noticed my signal for close order, which 
was to enable the slow vessels to come up. They opened on 
him a galling fire, which caused us to run up to his rescue ; this 
gave them the advantage of a raking fire on us for upward of a 
mile with some twenty guns, while we had but two nine-inch 
guns on our forecastle to reply to them. It was not long, how- 
ever, before we were enabled to bear away and give the forts a 
broadside of shells, shrapnel, and grape, the Pensacola at the 
same time passing up and giving a tremendous broadside of the 
same kind to the starboard fort ; and, by the time we could re- 
load, the Brooklyn, Captain Craven, passed handsomely between 
us and the battery and delivered her broadside, and shut us out. 
By this time the other vessels had gotten up, and ranged in one 
after another, delivering their broadsides in spiteful revenge 
for their ill treatment of the little Cayuga. The forts were 
silenced, and those who could run were running in every direc- 
tion. We now passed up to the city and anchored immediately 
in front of it, and I sent Captain Bailey on shore to demand the 
surrender of it from the authorities, to which the Mayor replied 
that the city was under martial law, and that he had no author- 
ity. General Lovell, who was present, stated that he should 
deliver up nothing, but in order to free the city from embar- 
rassment he would restore the city authorities, and retire with 
his troops, which he did. The correspondence with the city 
authorities and myself is herewith annexed. I then seized all 
the steamboats and sent them down to Quarantine for General 
Butler's forces. Among the number of these boats is the 
famous Tennessee, which our blockaders have been so long 
watching, but which, you will perceive, never got out. 

"The levee of New Orleans was one scene of desolation. 
Ships, steamers, cotton, coal, etc., were all in one common blaze, 
and our ingenuity was much taxed to avoid the floating confla- 
gration. 



THE EIVER FIGHT— CAPTURE OF THE CITY. 249 

" I neglected to mention my having good information re- 
specting tlie iron-clad rams which they were building. I sent 
Captain Lee up to seize the principal one, the Mississippi, which 
was to be the terror of these seas, and no doubt would have 
been to a great extent ; but she soon came floating by us all in 
flames, and passed down the river. Another was sunk immedi- 
ately in front of the Custom-House; others were building in 
Algiers, just begun. 

" I next went above the city eight miles, to CarroUton, where 
I learned there were two other forts, but the panic had gone 
before me. I found the guns spiked, and the gun-carriages in 
flames. The first work, on the right, reaches from the Missis- 
sippi nearly over to Pontchartrain, and has twenty-nine guns ; 
the one on the left had six guns, from which Commander Lee 
took some fifty barrels of powder, and completed the destruction 
of the gun-carriages, etc. A mile higher up there were two 
other earthworks, but not yet armed. 

""We discovered here, fastened to the right bank of the 
river, one of the most herculean labors I have ever seen — a 
raft and chain to extend across the river to prevent Foote's 
gunboats from descending. It is formed by placing three im- 
mense logs of not less than three or four feet in diameter and 
some thirty feet long ; to the center one a two-inch chain 
is attached, running lengthwise the raft, and the three logs 
and chain are then frapped together by chains from one half 
to one inch, three or four layers, and there are ninety-six of 
these lengths composing the raft ; it is at least three quarters 
of a mile long. 

" On the evening of the 29th Captain Bailey arrived from 
below, with the gratifying intelligence that the forts had sur- 
rendered to Commander Porter, and had delivered up all public 
property, and were being paroled, and that the navy had been 
made to surrender unconditionally, as they had conducted them- 
selves with bad faith, burning and sinking their vessels while a 
flag of truce was flying and the forts negotiating for their sur- 
render, and the Louisiana, their great iron-clad battery, blown 
up almost alongside of the vessel where they were negotiating ; 



250 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

hence their officers were not paroled, but sent home to be treated 
according to the judgment of the Government. 

" General Butler came up the same day, and arrangements 
were made for bringing up his troops. 

" I sent on shore and' hoisted the American flag on the Cus- 
tom-House, and hauled down the Louisiana State flag from the 
City Hall, as the Mayor had avowed that there was no man in 
New Orleans who dared to haul it down ; and my own convic- 
tions are that if such an individual could have been found he 
would have been assassinated. 

" Thus, sir, I have endeavored to give you an account of my 
attack upon IsTew Orleans, from our first movement to the sur- 
render of the city to General Butler, whose troops are now in 
fuU occupation, protected, however, by the Pensacola, Ports- 
mouth, and one gunboat, while I have sent a force of seven 
vessels, under command of Captain Craven, up the river, to 
keep up the panic as far as possible. The large ships, I fear, 
will not be able to go higher than Baton Bouge, while I have 
sent the smaller vessels, under Commander Lee, a;S high as 
Yicksburg, in the rear of Jackson, to cut off their supplies from 
the West. 

" I trust, therefore, that it will be found by the Government 
that I have carried out my instructions to the letter and to the 
best of my abilities, so far as this city is concerned. All of which 
is respectfully submitted. 

" I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
" D. G. Faeeagut, 
" Flag-Officer, Western GiQf Blockading Squadron. 

*' Hon. Gideon "Welles, 

" Secretary of the Navy, 

" WasMngton, D. C." 

It happened one day that a certain little poem, cut from a 
Hartford paper, fell under the eye of Captain Farragut, and 
greatly pleased him. It was an ingenious and spirited versifica- 
tion of the General Orders printed at page 221 of this volume. 
He wrote a note to the author, who proved to be Henry Howard 



^^ 



THE RIVER FIGHT— BROWNELL'S POEM. 251 

Brownell (born in Providence, 1820 ; died in Hartford, 1872). 
In a correspondence which ensued, Brownell expressed a strong 
desire to witness a naval battle, and Farragiit assured him he 
would give him an opportunity. This promise was redeemed 
by his appointment as acting ensign on the flag-ship Hartford, 
and he participated in the fight at Mobile. He subsequently 
embodied his " General Orders " in this longer poem : 



THE RIVER FIGHT. 

(Mississippi River, April 24, 1S62.) 

Do you know of the dreary Land, 

If land such region may seem, 
Where 'tis neither sea nor strand. 
Ocean nor good dry land, 

But the nightmare marsh of a dream — 
Where the Mighty River his death-road takes, 
'Mid pools, and windings that coil like snakes, 
(A hundred leagues of bayous and lakes,) 

To die in the great Gulf Stream ? 

No coast-line clear and true, 
(Granite and deep sea blue,) 

On that dismal shore you pass — 
Surf -worn bowlder nor sandy beach, 
But ooze-flats far as the eye can reach, 

With shallows of water-grass — 
Reedy savannas, vast and dun, 
Lying dead in the dim March sun — 
Huge rotting trunks and roots that lie 
Like blackened bones of the Shapes gone by. 

And miles of sunken morass. 

No lovely, delicate thing 

Of life o'er the waste is seen — 
But the cayman couched by his weedy spring, 

And the pelican, bird unclean — 

17 



252 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

Or the buzzard, flapping on heavy wing 
Like an evil ghost, o'er the desolate scene. 

Ah, many a weary day 

With our Leader there we lay. 

In the sultry haze and smoke. 
Tugging our ships o'er the bar — 
Till the Spring was wasted far. 

Till his brave heart almost broke — 
For the sullen River seemed 
As if our intent he dreamed — 

All his shallow mouths did spew and choke. 

But, ere April fully past, 

All ground over at last. 

And we knew the die was cast — 

Knew the day drew nigh 
To dare to the end one stormy deed, 
Might save the Land at her sorest need. 

Or on the old deck to die ! 

Anchored we lay — and, a morn the more, 
To his captains and all his men 

Thus wrote our stout old Commodore — 
(He was n't Admiral then :) 

GENERAL OEDEES. 

" Send your to'gallant masts down, 

Rig in each flying jib-boom ! 

Clear all ahead for the loom 
Of traitor fortress and town. 
Or traitor fleet bearing down. 

In with your canvas high — 

We shall want no sail to fly ! 
Topsail and foresail, spanker and jib, 
(With the heart of oak in the oaken rib,) 

Shall serve us to win or die ! 



THE KIYER FIGHT— BROWNELL'S POEM. 253 

Trim every hull by the head, 
(So shall you spare the lead,) 
Lest, if she ground, your ship swing round, 

Bows in-shore, for a wreck — 
See your grapnels all clear, with pains, 
And a solid kedge in your port main-chains, 
"With a whip to the main-yard — 
Drop it, heavy and hard, 
When you grapple a traitor deck ! 

On forecastle and on poop 

Mount guns, as best you may deem — 
If possible, rouse them up, 

(For still you must bow the stream) — 
Also hoist and secure with stops 
Howitzers firmly ia your tops. 

To fire on the foe abeam. 

Look well to your pumps and hose — 

Have water-tubs, fore and aft, 

For quenching flame in your craft. 
And the gun-crews' fiery thirst — 
See planks with felt fitted close, 

To plug every shot-hole tight — 
Stand ready to meet the worst ! 

For, if I have reckoned aright. 
They will serve us shot, both cold and hot, 

Freely enough, to-night. 

Mark well each signal I make — 
(Our life-long service at stake. 

And honor that must not lag !) 
"Whate'er the peril and awe. 
In the battle's fieriest flaw. 
Let never one ship withdraw 

Till orders come from the Flag ! " 



254 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

Would you hear of the River Fight ? 
It was two, of a soft spring night — 

God's stars looked down on all, 
And all was clear and bright 
But the low fog's chilling breath — 
Up the River of Death 

Sailed the Great Admiral. 



On our high poop-deck he stood, 

And round him ranged the men 
Who have made their birthright good 

Of manhood, once and again — 
Lords of helm and of sail. 
Tried in tempest and gale. 

Bronzed in battle and wreck — 
Bell and Bailey grandly led 
Each his Line of the Blue and Red — 
Wainwright stood by our starboard rail, 

Thornton fought the deck. 

And I mind me of more than they, 
Of the youthful, steadfast ones, 
That have shown them worthy sons 

Of the Seamen passed away — 

(Tyson conned our helm, that day, 
Watson stood by his guns). 

What thought our Admiral then, 
Looking down on his men ? 

Since the terrible day, 

(Day of renown and tears !) 

When at anchor the Essex lay, 

Holding her foes at bay, 
When, a boy, by Porter's side he stood 
Till deck and plank-shear were dyed with blood, 
'Tis half a hundred years — 

Half a hundred years, to-day ! 



THE RIVER FIGHT— BROWNELL'S POEM. 255 

Who could fail, with him ? 
Who reckon of life or limb ? 

Not a pulse but beat the higher ! 
There had you seen, by the star-light dim, 
Five hundred faces strong and grim — 

The Flag is going under fire ! 
Right up by the fort, with her helm hard-a-port, 

The Hartford is going under fire ! 

The way to our work was plain, 
Caldwell had broken the chain, 
(Two hulks swung down amain. 

Soon as 'twas sundered) — 
Under the night's dark blue. 
Steering steady and true, 
Ship after ship went through — 
Till, as we hove in view, 

Jackson out-thundered. 

Back echoed Philip ! — ah, then, 
Could you have seen our men, 

How they sprung, in the dim night haze. 
To their work of toil and of clamor ! 
How the loaders, with sponge and rammer, 
And their captains, with cord and hammer. 

Kept every muzzle ablaze ! 
How the guns, as with cheer and shout 
Our tackle-men hurled them out. 

Brought up on the water-ways ! 

First, as we fired at their flash, 

'Twas lightning and black eclipse. 
With a bellowing roll and crash — 
But soon, upon either bow. 

What with forts, and fire-rafts, and ships — 
(The whole fleet was hard at it, now, 
All pounding away !) — and Porter 
Still thundering with shell and mortar — 



256 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

'Twas the mighty sound and form 
Of an Equatorial storm I 



(Such you see in the Far South, 
After long heat and drouth, 

As day draws nigh to even — 
Arching from North to South, 
Blinding the tropic sun, 
The great black bow comes on — 
Till the thunder- veil is riven. 
When all is crash and levin, 
And the cannonade of heaven 
Rolls down the Amazon !) 

But, as we worked along higher, 

Just where the river enlarges, 
Down came a pyramid of fire — 

It was one of your long coal barges. 

(We had often had the like before) — 
'Twas coming down on us to larboard. 

Well in with the eastern shore — 

And our pilot, to let it pass round, 

(You may guess we never stopped to sound,) 
Giving us a rank sheer to starboard. 

Ran the Flag hard and fast aground ! 

'Twas nigh abreast of the Upper Fort, 

And straightway a rascal Ram 

(She was shaped like the devil's dam) 
Puffed away for us, with a snort, 

And shoved it, with spiteful strength, 
Right alongside of us, to port — 

It was all of our ship's length, 
A huge crackling Cradle of the Pit, 

Pitch-pine knots to the brim, 

Belching flame red and gi'im — 
What a roar came up from it ! 



THE RIVER FIGHT— BROWNELL'S POEM. 257 

Well, for a little it looked bad — 

But these things are, somehow, shorter 
In the acting than the telling — 
There was no singing-out nor yelling, 
Nor any fussing and fretting. 

No stampede, in short — 
But there we were, my lad. 

All a-fire on our port quarter ! 
Hammocks ablaze in the netting. 

Flame spouting in at every port — 
Our Fourth Cutter burning at the davit, 
(No chance to lower away and save it). 

In a twinkling, the flames had risen 
Half way to main top and mizzen, 
Darting up the shrouds like snakes ! 
Ah, how we clanked at the brakes. 
And the deep steam-pumps throbbed under, 
Sending a ceaseless flow — 
Our top-men, a dauntless crowd. 
Swarmed in rigging and shroud — 

There ('twas a wonder !) 
The burning ratlins and strands 
They quenched with their bare hard hands — 
But the great guns below 
Never silenced their thunder ! 

At last, by backing and sounding, 
When we were clear of grounding, 

And under head- way once more, 
The whole rebel fleet came rounding 

The point — if we had it hot before, 

'Twas now, from shore to shore. 

One long, loud thundering roar — 
Such crashing, splintering, and pounding, 

And smashing as you never heard before ! 

But that we fought foul wrong to wreck. 
And to save the Land we loved so well. 



258 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

You might have deemed our long gun-deck 
Two hundred feet of hell ! 



For all above was battle, 
Broadside, and blaze, and rattle, 

Smoke and thunder alone — 
(But, down in the sick-bay. 
Where our wounded and dying lay. 

There was scarce a sob or a moan). 

And at last, when the dim day broke, 
And the sullen sun awoke, 

Drearily blinking 
O'er the haze and the cannon-smoke, 
That ever such morning dulls — 
There were thirteen traitor hulls 

On fire and sinking ! 

Now, up the river ! — though mad Chalmette 

Sputters a vain resistance yet. 

Small helm we gave her, our course to steer — 

'Twas nicer work than you well would dream, 
With cant and sheer to keep her clear 

Of the burning wrecks that cumbered the stream. 

The Louisiana, hurled on high, 

Mounts in thunder to meet the sky ! 

Then down to the depth of the turbid flood. 

Fifty fathom of rebel mud ! 

The Mississippi comes floating down, 

A mighty bonfire, from off the town — 

And along the river, on stocks and ways, 

A half -hatched devil's brood is ablaze — 

The great Anglo-Norman is all in flames, 

(Hark to the roar of her tumbling frames !) 

And the smaller fry that Treason would spawn, 

Are lighting Algiers like an angry dawn ! 



THE RIVER FIGHT— BROWKELL'S POEM. 259 

From stem to stern, how the pirates burn, 

Fired by the furious hands that built ! 
So to ashes for ever turn 

The suicide wrecks of wi'ong and guilt ! 

But, as we neared the city, 

By field and vast plantation, 

(Ah, mill-stone of our Nation !) 
"With wonder and with pity 

What crowds we there espied 
Of dark and wistful faces, 
Mute in their toiling-places. 

Strangely and sadly eyed — 

Haply, 'mid doubt and fear. 

Deeming deliverance near — 

(One gave the ghost of a cheer !) 

And on that dolorous strand, 

To greet the victor-brave 

One flag did welcome wave — 
Raised, ah me ! by a wretched hand, 
All outworn on our cruel Land — 

The withered hand of a slave ! 

But all along the Levee, 

In a dark and drenching rain, 
(By this, 'twas pouring heavy,) 

Stood a fierce and sullen train — 
A strange and a frenzied time ! 

There were scowling rage and pain, 
Curses, howls, and hisses, 
Out of hate's black abysses — 
Their courage and their crime 

All in vain — all in vain ! 

For from the hour that the Rebel Stream, 
With the Crescent City lying abeam, 
Shuddered under our keel, 



260 " THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

Smit to the heart with self -struck sting, 
Slavery died in her scorpion-ring, 
And Murder fell on his steel. 

'Tis well to do and dare — 
But ever may grateful prayer 
Follow, as aye it ought, 
When the good fight is fought, 

When the true deed is done — 
Aloft in heaven's pure light, 
(Deep azure crossed on white) 
Our fair Church-Pennant waves 
O'er a thousand thankful braves, 

Bareheaded in God's bright sun. 

Lord of mercy and frown. 

Ruling o'er sea and shore, 

Send us such scene once more ! 
All in Line of Battle 
When the black ships bear down 
On tyrant fort and town. 

Mid cannon-cloud and rattle — 

And the great guns once more 

Thunder back the roar 

Of the traitor walls ashore. 
And the traitor flags come down ! 



CHAPTER XX. 

FROM NEW ORLEANS TO VICKSBURG THE GOVERISTMENt's PLAN, 

AND FARRAGUt's — PASSAGE OF THE BATTERIES AT VICKSBURG 

— Breckinridge's attack on baton rouge — destruction 

OF the ram ARKANSAS. 

On the afternoon of the 26th of April Farragut had gone 
up the river to capture the two forts at CarroUton, eight miles 
above the city, intended to protect it from enemies coining 
down stream. But he found the works deserted, the guns 
spikedj and the carriages burning. Under date of April 29th 
he wrote : 

" Of course the New Orleans papers abuse me, but I am 
case-hardened to all that. I don't read the papers, except to 
gain information about the war. I find all the forts along the 
coast are surrendering, and we shall have nothing to do but oc-' 
cupy them. I shall be off for Mobile in a few days, and put it 
to them there. I have done all I promised, and all I was ex- 
pected to do. So, thanks to God, I hope I have acquitted my- 
self to the satisfaction of my friends as well as my country. 

" April 30th. 
" "We have destroyed, or made the enemy destroy, three of 
the most formidable rams in the country. Arthur Sinclair de- 
clared that the Mississippi (ram), which he was to command, 
was far superior to the Merrimac. But we were too quick for 
them. Her machinery was not in working order, and when I 
sent after her they set her on fire, and she floated past us, for- 
midable even in her expiring flames. Mitchell commanded the 
other as flag-officer. Poor Charlie Mcintosh was her captain, 
and is now going on shore in a dreadful condition. It is not 



262 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

thought he will live ; but he has a good constitution, and that 
will do a great deal for him. 

" Their fleet has suffered very much in this affair, both in 
reputation and in vessels. We destroyed them all, some four- 
teen or fifteen, and many lives were lost. 

" One of the city council, in one of our interviews, said to 
me sadly, when I told him that Mcintosh was so badly wounded ; 
' "Well, sir, he knew his task was a difficult one, and said to me 
before he left, that their work would be no child's play ; that 
he knew his enemy, and that you were as brave as you were 
skilHuL' 

" Loyall would have been delighted, as I was, to see the con- 
test between the old Mississippi and the Hollins ram Manassas, 
after we had passed the forts. I saw the ram coming up. I 
hailed Melancton Smith, and told him to run her down. Smith 
turned his ship, head down stream, and they ran at each other. 
We all looked on with intense anxiety. When within fifty 
yards, the enemy's heart failed him, and he turned to the right 
and ran on shore. Smith poured in a broadside, which riddled 
her. Thus ended the Hollins ram. She floated down stream, 
on fire from her own furnaces ; the officers and men making 
their escape to the shore. 

" These rams are formidable things ; but, when there is room 
to manoeuvre, the heavy ships will run over them. The diffi- 
culty at Hampton Roads was, that the ships were all at anchor 
and near shoal water. 

" I am now going up the river to meet Foote — ^where, I 
know not — and then I shall resume my duties on the coast, keep 
moving, and keep up the stampede I have upon them. 

" I have so much to say to my dear wife and boy that it will 
be the occupation of my declining years, I hope, by the bright 
fireside of our happy home. 

" It is a strange thought, that I am here among my relatives, 
and yet not one has dared to say ' I am happy to see you.' 
There is a reign of terror in this doomed city ; but, although I 
am abused as one who wished to kill all the women and chil- 
dren, I still see a feeling of respect for me. The foreign consuls 



FROM NEW ORLEANS TO VIOKSBURG. 263 

called on me yesterday, and were extremely polite, and appeared 
anxious for me to aid them in getting provisions for the city. 
They feared starvation and riots." 

Farragut had already dispatched several vessels up the river. 
Commander James S. Palmer, in the Iroquois, took possession 
of Baton Rouge and Natchez, after a short parley with the 
authorities of each place ; and Commander S. Phillips Lee, with 
. the advance gunboats, appeared off Yicksburg, May 18th, and 
summoned the authorities to surrender. But this demand was 
defiantly refused, and the answers returned showed the presence 
of a military force. 

On the morning of June 9th the Itasca and "Wissahickon 
were fired upon by a rifled battery at Grand Gulf, which plant- 
ed twenty-five shots in the former and seventeen in the latter, 
killing one man and wounding five. 

The most perplexing question that the Union commanders 
had to deal with was this one of protecting their forces from 
the desultory fire of field batteries and sharp-shooters along the 
river. Wherever any considerable Confederate force boldly 
presented itself and disputed the passage of the ships, it could 
be met and fought in regular battle. But against this guerilla 
warfare, which could have no possible effect on the grand result, 
and was simply the murder of so many individual sailors and 
marines, there was no defense except in some species of retalia- 
tion. Several towns were therefore notified that if the vessels 
were fii'ed upon from their vicinity, the towns would be bom- 
barded. This gave rise to considerable correspondence, in which, 
of com'se, the usual chivalrous plea for " defenseless women and 
childi*en " was prominent. The pith of the argument is sufiS- 
ciently shown in a single letter from Farragut to General Lovell, 
who had commanded the Confederate forces in New Orleans : 

" United States Flag- Ship Haetfoed, 
''Baton Rouge, June 17, 1862. 

" Sib : I have to acknowledge the receipt of your communi- 
cation of the 12th instant, together with its inclosm-e, in which 



264: THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. 

you are pleased to say tliat vengeance will be visited upon tlie 
women and cliildren of Rodney, if our vessels are fired upon 
from tlie town. Although I find no such language contained 
in the letter of Lieutenant Commanding !Nichols, or even any 
from which such inference might be drawn, still I shall meet 
your general remark on your own terms. You say you locate 
your batteries ' at such points on the river as are deemed best 
suited,' etc., without reference to the people of the town, and 
claim no immunity for your troops. Now, therefore, the viola- 
tion is with you. You choose your own time and place for the 
attack upon our defenseless people, and should, therefore, see 
that the innocent and defenseless of your own people are out of 
the way before you make the attack ; for rest assured that the 
fire will be returned, and we will not hold ourselves answerable 
for the death of the innocent. If we have ever fired upon your 
' women and children,' it was done here at Baton Rouge, when 
an attempt was made to kill one of our officers, landing in a 
small boat, manned with four boys. They were, when in the 
act of landing, mostly wounded by the fire of some thirty or 
forty horsemen, who chivalrously galloped out of the town, 
leaving the women and children to bear the brunt of our ven- 
geance. At Grand Gulf, also, our transports were fired upon 
in passing, which caused the place to be shelled, with what effect 
I know not ; but I do know, that the fate of a town is at all 
times in the hands of the military commandant, who may, at 
pleasure, draw the enemy's fire upon it, and the community is 
made to suffer for the act of its military. 

" The only instance I have known where the language of 
your letter could possibly apply, took place at New Orleans on 
the day we passed up in front of the city, while it was still in 
your possession, by your soldiers firing on the crowd. I trust, 
however, that the time is past when women and children will 
be subjected by their military men to the horrors of war ; it is 
enough for them to be subjected to the incidental inconveni- 
ences, privations, and sufferings. 

" If any such things have occurred as the slaying of women 
and children, or innocent people, I feel well assured that it was 



FEOM NEW ORLEANS TO VICKSBURG. 265 

caused by the act of your military, and mucli against the will of 
our officers ; for, as Lieutenant Commanding Nichols informs 
the Mayor, we war not against defenseless persons, but against 
those in open rebellion against our country, and desire to limit 
our punishment to them, though it may not always be in our 
power to do so. 

" Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Faeragut, 
" Flag-Officer, Commanding Western GuK 
Blockading Squadron. 
" Major-General Mansfield Lovell, 

" Commanding Confederate troops, 
"Jackson, Mississippi." 

Farragut reached Yicksburg in his flag-ship, happily without 
accident, save being aground one night ; but the navigation of 
the river was attended with great danger to all the larger ves- 
sels, and the commanders had to be constantly on the alert to 
keep their vessels in deep water. An accident here to ma- 
chinery or hull might prove disastrous; for a vigilant enemy 
was on the watch for any such mishaps, and, like leviathans 
stranded, the ships would fall an easy prey. It seemed marvel- 
ous at that time to think of vessels of the class of the Hartford 
and Brooklyn penetrating so far into the interior of the country, 
contending with the treacherous currents and shoals of the 
muddy stream. The appearance of tall-sparred ships, with their 
long, dark hulls, moving slowly around the bends of the river, 
must have been a startling sight indeed to such of the inhabi- 
tants as had never been down to the sea. 

A small military force followed Farragut in transports. It 
consisted of two infantry regiments and Nim's (Massachusetts) 
battery, all under the command of General Thomas Williams, 
an erperienced and gallant officer of the regular army. 

Farragut's own policy would have been, now that the port 
of New Orleans was sealed up, to attack the defenses of Mobile, 
taking advantage of the panic created by his recent successes. 
At that time the task would have been comparatively easy, and 



266 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

his blockaders would have been relieved from arduous service 
on the coast. Commander Porter concurred in this opinion, 
saying, in a letter dated from Pensacola, June 3d, " Mobile is 
so ripe now that it would fall to us like a mellow pear." 

In the following dispatch Farragut explains why he aban- 
doned the contemplated attack on Yicksburg and returned to 
New Orleans : 

" United States Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 

" Off New Orleans^ June 3, 1862. 

" SiK : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the 
duplicates of your dispatches of the IGth and 19th ult., as also 
a dispatch from the Assistant-Secretary, dated the lYth ; in all 
of which I am urged and required by the President of the 
United States to use my utmost exertions, without more delay, 
to open the Mississippi River up to Flag-Officer Davis's com- 
mand. In the dispatch of the 17th it is intimated that I might 
have forgotten my instructions on that subject, contained in my 
original orders of the 20th of January. 

" Such a thing could scarcely be possible, but the Depart- 
ment seems to have considered my fleet as having escaped all 
injury, and that when they arrived off New Orleans they were 
in condition to be pushed up the river. This was not the case ; 
but, the moment the vessels could be gotten ready, the gunboats 
were aU sent up, under command of Commander S. P. Lee, with 
directions to proceed to Yicksburg, and take that place and cut 
the railroad. Some time was consumed in trying to procure 
pilots. I mean, by a pilot, one who has a knowledge of the 
river, for we were totally ignorant, and from all I could hear it 
was not considered proper, even with pilots, to risk the ships 
beyond Natchez. 

" As I stated in my last dispatch (No. 100), the dangers and 
difficulties of the river have proved to us, since we first entered 
it, much greater impediments to our progress, and more destruc- 
tive to our vessels, than the enemy's shot. Between getting 
aground, derangement of the machinery, and want of coal, the 
delays in getting up the river are great, and in Commander 
Lee's case there was some misapprehension of orders, by which 



THE GOVEKNMENT'S PLAN, AND FARKAGUT'S. 267 

he says lie lost two days in reaching Yicksburg. By the time 
he arrived there, however, he was satisfied that the force of the 
enemy was too great for him to venture to take the town, or 
even to pass it. 

" The land in the rear of Yicksburg is about two hundred 
feet high, on which are placed some eight- and ten-inch colum- 
biads, which are perfectly secure from our fire. Commander 
Lee made application for more force, and the Iroquois, having 
just arrived from special service, had been sent on by Captain 
Craven. I directed Captain Palmer to take command at Yicks- 
burg. I also determined to get the ships up there if possible, 
which I did a day or two after. 

" General "Williams arrived in the mean time with fifteen 
hundred men, when I proposed to him, if he could carry the 
battery on the hill, I would attack the town. He made a care- 
ful reconnoissance, and returned to me in the afternoon, when 
I had all the commanders assembled. He reported that it would 
be impossible for him to land, and that he saw no chance of 
doing anything with the place so long as the enemy were in 
such force, having at their command thirty thousand men within 
one hour by railroad. A large majority of the commanders 
concurred with him in the opinion.* I was quite sick at the 
time, and felt disposed to submit rather to their judgment than 
my own, and consequently determined to invest it on the lower 
side with my whole disposable gunboat force, and thereby draw 
a portion of their forces, guns, etc., from Beauregard's army, 
which appeared to be the next best thing to be done. 

* Colonel Wickhatn Hoffman, who was a member of General Williams's staff, 
tells the story of this interview in his " Camp, Court, and Siege." " Arrived oppo- 
site Yicksburg, we boarded the flag-ship to consult for combined operations. We 
found Farragut holding a council of his captains, considering the feasibility of pass- 
ing the batteries of Vicksburg as he had passed the forts. We apologized for our 
intrusion, and were about to withdraw, when he begged us to stay, and, turning to 
Williams, he said : ' General, my officers oppose my running by Vicksburg as im- 
practicable. Only one supports me. So I must give it up for the present. In ten 
days they will all be of my opinion, and then the difficulties will be much greater 
than they are now.' It turned out as he had said. In a few days they were all of 
his opinion, and he did it." 
18 



268 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARFvAGUT. 

" The army had been sent up with only a few days' rations, 
and I was compelled to supply them from the squadron, thereby 
reducing our own suj)plies, which were barely sufficient to bring 
the ships back to JSTew Orleans, making allowance for jDrobable 
delays. 

" The river was now beginning to fall, and I apprehended 
great difficulty in getting down should I delay much longer. 

" Captain Morris, in the mean time, had been having coal- 
vessels towed up the river just above Katchez, which vessels I 
was obliged to bring down and keep in company with the ves- 
sels of war, for fear of their being captured by the guerilla 
bands which appear to infest almost the entire banks of the 
river wherever there are rapids and bluffs. 

" I had no conception that the Department ever contem- 
plated that the ships of this squadron were to attempt to go to 
Memphis, nor did I believe it was practicable for them to do so, 
unless under the most favorable circumstances, in time of peace, 
when their supplies could be obtained along the river. Our 
gunboats, although they have heavy batteries, are nearly all so 
damaged that they are certainly not in a condition to contend 
with iron-clad rams coming down upon them with the current, 
as are those of the upper Mississij)pi, which are built for the 
purpose, are iron-clad, and are designed to contend with enemy's 
gunboats coming up against the current. "We consider the ad- 
vantage entirely in favor of the vessel that has the current added 
to her velocity. . . . 

" I arrived at ITew Orleans with five or six days' pro- 
visions and one anchor, and am now trying to procure others. 
As soon as provisions and anchors are obtained, we will take 
our departure for up the river, and endeavor to carry out, as 
far as practicable, the orders conveyed in your different dis- 
patches. 

" Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Faeeagut, 
" Flag-Officer, Western Gulf Squadron. 
" Hon. Gideon Welles, 

" Secretary of the Navy." 



THE GOVERNMENT'S PLAN, AND FARRAGUT'S. 269 

In a private letter of nearly the same date as the above dis- 
patch, June 2d, he gives free expression to his opinions of the 
policy of keeping sea-going vessels in a river like the Mississippi : 

" They will keep us in this river until the vessels break down, 
and all the little reputation we have made has evaporated. The 
Government appear to think that we can do anything. They 
expect me to navigate the Mississippi nine hundred miles in the 
face of batteries, iron-clad rams, etc., and yet, with all the iron- 
clad vessels they have Korth, they could not get to Norfolk or 
Kichmond. The iron-clads, with the exception of the Monitor, 
were all knocked to pieces. Yet I am expected to take l^ew 
Orleans and go up and release Foote from his perilous situation 
at Fort Pillow, when he is backed by the army and has iron-clad 
boats built for the river service, while our ships are to be periled 
by getting aground and remaining there till next year ; or, what 
is more likely, be burned to prevent them falling into the ene- 
my's hands. A beautiful prospect for the ' hero ' of Kew 
Orleans ! 

" "Well, I will do my duty to the best of my ability, and let 
the rest take care of itself. 

" It was well that the Merrimac was blown up, for I never 
would have had another vessel. Everything was seized for 
Hampton Roads, to look after the Merrimac. Thank God she 
is gone ! I hope now they will send us a monitor. She would 
keep the river clear and save thousands of lives — as well as the 
Kavy, which the river will use up. 

" Senator McDougal, I hear, has asked for a vote of thanks 
of Congress for me. ' Blessed is he who expecteth nothing, for 
he shall not be disappointed.' But they can not deprive me and 
my officers of the historical fact that we took New Orleans. 
Now they expect impossibilities of me. . . . 

" Some will find fault with me for not doing them justice 
in my report of the passage of the forts ; but you can not satisfy 
all as to the measure of praise, and you know me well enough 
to know that I will not say what I donH Icnow ; and as to 
praising people individually who fought in the dark, for gallant 



270 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

conduct, and whom I did not see, that is out of the question. 
But I was particular as to all that came under my notice, and 
sent all the reports of the commanding officers respecting their 
officers. I regret that Bailey did not get the thanks of Congress 
as recommended by the President." 

Farragut was not reassured by the appearance of the batteries 
of Yicksburg, and saw at once what a formidable place it might 
become under an energetic commander. The land force coop- 
erating with him was totally inadequate for the work. In fact, 
the soldiers could hardly get a footing on the low, flat Louisiana 
shore, the whole country being flooded, while an attempt to land 
on the Mississippi side, with a superior garrison at Yicksburg 
to confront, would have been pure madness. He realized the 
necessity of dashing by the batteries at once, if at all ; but, as 
he says in the dispatch quoted above, in the council which he 
held with his captains, to consider the advisability of making 
the attempt, he was not sustained, and, for the time being, the 
project of an attack was given up, and the troops returned to 
Baton Eouge. In a letter written after his return from this first 
visit to Yicksburg he says, in explanation : 

" I am so pressed with business that I have only time to say 
a hasty word to my wife and child. I had a most anxious time 
up the river. It wore upon my health more than I could ima- 
gine. My anxiety was intense. Only think — five hundred 
miles up a river, knowing, too, that the enemy calculated I 
would never get back in my ship ! It was amusing, however, 
when I did return, to receive the congratulations of my friends. 
They had it reported that my legs were shot off, and that I was 
a prisoner at Jackson ! Money was lost and won on the specu- 
lation. It is astonishing how they believe what they wish to 
believe. 

" I did not pass Yicksburg ; not because it was too strongly 
fortified, not because we could not have passed it easily enough, 
but we would have been cut off from our supplies of coal and 
provisions. "We would have been placed between two enemies. 



THE GOVERNMENT'S PLAN, AND FARRAGUT'S. 271 

and so the captains advised me not to do it. I was very sick at 
the time, and yielded to their advice, which I think was good ; 
but I doubt if I would have taken it had I been well. "We 
might have lost some vessels ; their guns are on cliffs two hun- 
dred feet high, where we can not reach therriy and they have a 
plunging fire on us. But fighting is nothing to the evils of the 
river — getting on shore, running afoul of one another, losing 
anchors, etc. Besides, we have to send vessels with the army 
wherever they go, which reduces my force for operations. I 
find, the more you do the more is expected of you — that is, the 
work becomes more complicated — and I am now worked to 
death." 

The Government seemed determined that the river should 
be " opened at every hazard," and Farragut was ordered to call 
on all his available force, including Porter's mortars, and return 
to Yicksburg. General Butler now sent six regiments and two 
batteries, and soon quite a fleet of steamers was wending its way 
to the afterward famous stronghold. After receiving his orders, 
Farragut wrote, under date of June 6th : 

" I just write a line by the Connecticut, at the last moment, 
to assure you of my continued good health. I leave for up the 
river, to ' clear the river,' as the Department is pleased to call 
it. When we shall get down again, is a question to be decided 
by time alone. But the same good God who has thus far pre- 
served me will still preside over my destiny. In the course of 
human longevity I have not long to live, and, although it would 
be most agreeable to spend it with you both, still it is our place 
to submit patiently to His will and do our duty." 

" Baton Rouge, June 15th. 
" Things appear a little more cheerfid to-day, and I have the 
heart to write. We received letters and papers yesterday, say- 
ing that Davis had destroyed the enemy's fleet at Memphis. It 
was done in handsome style, in presence of all the city, so that 
now I shall hope to see him down this way soon. Vicksburg 



272 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

will be the half-way house, where the last battle of the Missis- 
sippi River will be fought, and then Davis will be left in full 
possession with his gunboats, which are built and well calculated 
for the service, while our vessels are too long and draw too much 
water. 

" If I ever go above Yicksburg, as ordered, I do not expect 
to get down again until spring ; for there are places in the river 
having not half the depth of water drawn by our ships. Still, 
I could not help hoping something would turn up to help us. 
Yicksbm'g is now the only important point on the river in the 
possession of the enemy, and I hope soon we shall have that. 

" I was threatened with an attack of nervous fever on my 
last visit, owing to loss of rest when my ship was aground. I 
thought she was gone. 

" Off Ellis Cliffs, June 22d. 

" I just sit down to commune with you, after one of the 
most trying events. Yesterday, while we were running up the 
river, everything propitious, the ship ran aground. I never left 
the deck, except to get a drink of tea, until she was off, this 
morning at 8 : 30. Fortunately, General Williams was with me, 
with eight steamers. They pulled and tugged until they got 
her off ; but I several times made up my mind to spend the 
summer there — rather, that the ship would. I always feel that 
I am resj)onsible for the ship that bears my flag ; but, thank 
God ! I was patient and did not suffer as I did before, for I 
knew that I had done all I could to prevent her from being up 
the river so high, but was commanded to go, and replied that I 
would go and do the best I could to comply with the wishes of 
the Department. It is a sad thing to think of leaving your ship 
on a mud-bank, five hundred miles from the natural element of 
a sailor. 

"At five o'clock we reached this place, where the rebels 
fired into our transports. Here we met Commander Lee in the 
Oneida, and Nichols in the Winona. General Williams landed 
his soldiers, to stretch their legs and try to catch a few guerillas, 
but did not succeed. 



FORTS l!^=<c- -,ia-Si. 

RAIL ROADS 1 I I I I I 

LCVtES H.lMn HM 

ROADS 

A HARTFORD. 

B RICHMOND. 

C BROOKLYN. 

1 moquo/s. 

2 ONEIDA. 

„ 3 WISSAHICKO/V. 

„4- SCI OTA. 

,,5 lV//l/a/V/4. 

n 6 PIN OLA. 

„ 7 KENNEBEC. 

as porter's Gm Boms. 

a 9 MORTAR BOATS. 




'A ',2 V* \ 2 3 

Passage of Vioksburg Batteries, June 28, 1862— Order of Attack. 



THE GOYERFMENT'S PLAN, AND FARRAGUT'S, 273 

" We passed Natchez at 8 : 20 a. m. All the townspeople 
were on the bluffs to see the fleet go by. It was a pretty sight 
— sixteen vessels — the Hartford like an old hen taking care of 
her chickens. "We saw them all pass ahead safely, and helped 
them along when required." 

The fleet reached Warrenton, a few miles below Yicksburg, 
safely, although, as mentioned, the enemy had entered a protest 
at Ellis Chffs and Grand Gulf, in the shape of attacks on trans- 
ports by guerillas. On June 26th Farragut writes : 

" Here we ara once more in front of Yicksburg, by a peremp- 
tory order of the Department and the President of the United 
States, ' to clear the river through.' With God's assistance, I 
intend to try it as soon as the mortars are ready, which will be 
in an hour or two. The work is rough. Their batteries are 
beyond om* reach on the heights. It must be done in the day- 
time, as the river is too difficult to navigate by night. I trust 
that God wiU smile upon our efforts, as He has done before. I 
think more should have been left to my discretion ; but I hope 
for the best, and pray God to protect our poor sailors from harm. 
If it is His pleasure to take me, may He protect my wife and 
boy from the rigors of a wicked world." 

The general order prescribing the plan of attack was as fol- 
lows: 

" United States Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
" Below VicJcsburg, June S5, 1862. 

" The mortar-boats and gunboats of the mortar flotilla having 
been placed by Commander D. D. Porter, according to his 
judgment, to the best advantage to act upon the batteries on the 
heights and the fort below the hospital, at 4 a. m. to-morrow 
they will open fire upon the same and on the city of Yicks- 
burg. 

" At the display of the signal for the ships and gunboats to 
weigh, they Avill form in a double line of sailing, the Eichmond, 
Commander James Alden commanding, leading ; the shij)s 



274 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

Hartford, Commander E, Wainwi-iglit commanding, next ; 
Brooklyn, Captain T. T. Craven, third. The gunboats will 
form another line, so as to fire between the ships, in the follow- 
ing order : Iroquois, Commander James S. Palmer, and Oneida, 
Commander S. Phillips Lee commanding, ahead, but on the port 
bow of the Richmond, so as to fire into the forts at the upper 
end of the town, without interfering with the fire of the Rich- 
mond ; next in order, the Wissahickon, Commander John De- 
Camp, and the Sciota, Lieutenant Commanding Ed. Donaldson, 
in the line with the Iroquois and Oneida, but on the port bow 
of the flag-ship, so as to fire between the Richmond and flag- 
ship ; next, the Winona, Lieutenant Commanding Ed. T. 
Nichols, and Pinola, Lieutenant Commanding Pierce Crosby, 
on the port bow of the Brooklyn. 

" The Hartford will, as often as occasion offers, fire her bow 
guns on the forts at the upper end of the town ; but the broad- 
side batteries of all the ships will be particularly directed to the 
guns in the forts below and on the heights. The free use of 
shrapnel is considered the best projectile, but great care must 
be taken in cutting the fuses, so as always to be sure that they 
burst short of their destination. When close enough, give them 
grape. The inclosed diagram will show the position of the re- 
spective vessels in the order of attack. 

" When the vessels reach the bend in the river, the Wissa- 
bickon, Sciota, Winona, and Pinola will continue on ; but, should 
the enemy continue the action, the ships and Iroquois and Oneida 
will stop their engines and drop down the river again, keeping 
up their fire until directed otherwise. 

"The Kennebec, Lieutenant Commanding John Russell, 
will take position in the rear of, and in a line with, the Pinola, 
so as to fire astern of the Brooklyn. 

" D. G. Eaekagut, 
" Flag-Officer, Western Gulf Squadron." 

The object of this order appears to have been, to present as 
continuous a broadside fire as possible, and, at the same time, 
bring the bow guns into service. A heavy raking fire was ex- 



PASSAGE OF THE BATTERIES AT VICKSBURG. 275 

pected, and the arrangement of tlie vessels was simply a double 
order of sailing to suit the narrowness of the channel and the 
high situation of the batteries. 

The mortars were placed in position and began firing on the 
26th of June ; but the range was defective, and they moved up 
closer, opening in earnest on the 28th at four o'clock a. m. 

The whole fleet now got under way, and steamed uj), in the 
double line of sailing described in the general orders ; the three 
largest vessels — Richmond, Hartford, and Brooklyn — on the 
right, forming the starboard column, nearest to the rebel bat- 
teries. 

At the sound of the first gun from the Iroquois, Porter, 
with the gunboats under his command, came up on the star- 
board quarter and opened in fine style upon the enemy, to assist 
the advancing line, while his mortars kept their shells whizzing 
in the air. Battery after battery now opened, and, as the fleet 
proceeded, the ridge of bluffs seemed one sheet of flame. Of 
the movements of his flag-ship Farragut says : " The Hartford 
fired slowly and deliberately, and with fine effect, far surpassing 
my expectations in reaching the summit batteries. The rebels 
were soon silenced by the combined efforts of the fleet and the 
flotilla, and at times did not reply at aU, for several minutes. 
I passed up at the slowest speed, and even stopped once, in 
order that the Brooklyn and the sternmost vessels might 
close up." 

In two hours the whole fleet had passed the batteries, with 
the exception of the rear division, which consisted of the 
Brooklyn, Katahdin, and Kennebec. Their failure to pass 
was owing to a misunderstanding of a portion of the general 
orders. 

The fleet was comparatively fortunate in this engagement, 
receiving only a few hard knocks. The Hartford had several 
shot-holes in her hull, and her maintopsail yard severed. The 
casualties — fifteen killed and thirty wounded — were not severe, 
considering the time under fire. 

Farragut finished his letter, begun below Yicksburg on the 
28th, on the next day, with his remarks on the action. 



276 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. 

" Above Vioksbtteg, June S9th. 

" My last sheet was closed as a letter for my wife and boy, 
in tlie event of any accident happening to me in the fight which 
I knew was to come off in a few hours. 

^' There were difficulties in the way, and the mortars did not 
get their fuses right until it was too late for us to move against 
the town that evening ; so I postponed it until the morning of 
the 27th. We were under way by 2 a. m., and off Yicksburg 
by dayhght. The scene soon became, animated, as both parties 
were doing their best to destroy each other. 

" We had no difiiculty in dri\ang them from their guns ; but 
the batteries were so elevated that the gunners could lie down 
until we had poured in a broadside, and then run to their guns 
and reopen fire as each ship passed. They kept it up pretty 
well, though we fortunately received little injury. Occasionally 
a vessel was struck by a large shot. Wainwright's cabin was 
well cut to pieces, but we lost but one man killed and eleven 
wounded. 

" I was in my favorite stand, the mizzen rigging, when all 
at once the captain of the gun on the poop-deck wished to fire 
at a battery which would require him to point his gun near me, 
and requested me to get down, which I did, to avoid the con- 
cussion. I was only a moment in doing so, when the whole 
mizzen rigging was cut away just above my head ! Although 
the shot would not have struck me, I would have tumbled on 
deck. But, thank God, I escaped with only a touch on the 
head, which did not break the skin, and has not given me a 
thought since. This same shot cut the halyards that hoisted my 
flag, which dropped to half-mast without being perceived by us. 
This circumstance caused the other vessels to think that I was 
killed. 

" It seems to me that any man of common sense would know 
that this place can not be taken by ships, when the army in its 
rear consists of ten thousand or fifteen thousand men, and they 
don't care about sacrificing the city. We did not attempt par- 
ticularly to destroy the city ; it was more important to fire at 
the batteries. The soldiers have no interest in preserving it, as 



PASSAGE OF THE BATTERIES AT VICKSBURG. 277 

they know it is only a matter of time for it to fall into our 
hands. As soon as General Halleck sends the soldiers to occupy 
it by land, we will drive them out of the forts. 

" To-day is Sunday, and we had prayers at eleven o'clock. 
I signaled the fleet to ' return thanks to Almighty God for His 
mercies.' 

"My report is now bothering me. . . . Such things are 
painful, but I must tell the truth in my official statements. I do 
not desire to injure any one. . . . 

" I am still well, and so is Bell. All of us are anxious to see 
an end of this river war. God grant it may be over soon, or 
we shall have to spend the rest of the year in this hottest of 
holes." 

The following is the detailed official report of the action at 
Yicksburg : 

" United States Flag-Ship Hartfoed, 

'■'■ Above VicJcsburg, Mississippi, July 2, 1862. 

" SiK : In obedience to the orders of the Department and the 
command of the President, I proceeded up to Yicksburg with 
the Brooklyn, Richmond, and Hartford, with the determination 
to carry out my instructions to the best of my abihty. 

" My difficulties and expenses in getting coal and provisions 
up the river have been very great, and it has only been accom- 
plished by great exertions on the part of Captain H. W. Morris, 
aided by the army. Captain D. D. Porter's mortar flotilla, 
which was deemed indispensable to shell out the heights, had 
also to be towed up. All this caused great delay, but, by the 
steady exertions of that officer, and the assistance of all in whose 
power it was to help, we succeeded in getting up sixteen mortar 
vessels, and an-angements were soon made to bombard the forts 
on the heights at Yicksburg. Owing, however, to some imper- 
fection in the fuses (wliich Captain Porter will explain), he was 
two days getting his ranges. On the evening of the 27th he 
reported to me that he was ready, and I issued my general order 
for the attack on the 28th, at 4 a. m. 

" At 2 A. M. on the 28th June, the signal was made to weigh, 



278 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

and we proceeded up to the attack in tlie order of steaming pre- 
scribed in the diagram accompanying the general order. At 
four o'clock precisely, the mortars opened fire, and at almost 
the same moment the enemy fired his first gun, which was 
returned by the leading vessels — Iroquois, Commander J. S. 
Palmer ; Oneida, Commander S. P. Lee ; and Pichraond, Com- 
mander James Alden. The other vessels — Wissahickon, Com- 
mander John DeCamp ; Sciota, Lieutenant Commanding Ed- 
ward Donaldson ; this shij), Commander P. Wainwright ; Winona, 
Lieutenant Commanding E. T. Nichols ; and Pinola, Lieutenant 
Commanding Pierce Crosby — next came up, and poured in their 
fire successively. At almost the same instant. Commander D. 
D. Porter came up on our starboard quarter with the Octorara, 
Westfield, Clifton, Jackson, Harriet Lane, and Owasco, and 
opened in fine style upon the enemy. The Hartford fired 
slowly and deliberately, and with fine effect — far surpassing my 
expectations in reaching the summit batteries. The rebels were 
soon silenced by the combined efforts of the fleet and of the 
flotilla, and at times did not reply at all for several minutes, and 
then again at times replied with but a single gun. 

" I passed up at the slowest speed (we had but eight pounds 
of steam), and even stopped once, in order that the Brooklyn 
and sternmost vessels might close up. 

" The Hartford received but very little injury from the bat- 
teries in or below the town, but several raking shots from the 
battery above the town did us considerable damage : they were 
50-pounder rifle and 8- inch solid shot. The first passed through 
the shell-room in the starboard forward passage, and lodged in 
the hold, but did no other harm. The 8-inch struck the break 
of the poop and passed through the cabin, but hurt no one ; the 
rigging was much cut, and the port maintopsail yard was cut 
in two. 

" If the ships had kept in closer order, in all probability 
they would have suffered less, as the fire of the whole fleet 
would have kept the enemy from his guns a longer space of 
time, and, when at his guns, his fire would have been more dis- 
tracted. 



PASSAGE OF THE BATTERIES AT VIOKSBURG. 279 

" When we reached the upper battery we soon silenced it, 
and it was reported to me that its flag was struck. We therefore 
gave three cheers ; hut when we had passed about three quarters 
of a mile above they reopened fire with two heavy guns. I 
was unable to reply to this raking fire, being out of range. Al- 
though their shots were well directed, they either had too much 
or too little elevation, and only cut our rigging to pieces, with- 
out injuring any one seriously, which was strange, as the Iro- 
quois, Winona, and Pinola were on our quarter. 

" At 6 A. M., meeting with Lieutenant-Colonel EUet, of the 
ram fleet, who offered to forward my communications to Flag- 
Oflicer Davis and General Halleck, at Memphis, I anchored the 
fleet and went to breakfast, while I prepared my hasty dispatch 
(No. 120) and telegram for the Department. I also sent across 
the peninsula to see what was the cause of Captain Craven and 
the vessels astern of him in the line not passing up. I also de- 
sired a list of their casualties, which appear by their letters to 
have been ' none.'' The casualties in the fleet, as far as heard 
from, in the passing vessels were seven killed and thirty wound- 
ed. Commander Porter reports eight killed and ten or twelve 
wounded ; but that was not his ofiicial report, probably, but 
referred more particularly to the two steamers, Clifton and 
Jackson, each of which had an accidental shot — the Jackson in 
the wheel-house, killing the helmsman, and the Clifton a shot 
through her boiler, killing (by scalding) the men in her maga- 
zine, six in number, and one man was drowned by jumping 
overboard. I herewith forward the report of Acting Lieutenant 
Commanding C. H. Baldwin, of the CHfton. 

" The Department will perceive, from this (my) report, that 
the forts can hQ passed, and we have done it, and can do it again 
as often as may he required of us. It will not, however, be an 
easy matter for us to do more than silence the batteries for a 
time, as long as the enemy has a large force behind the hills to 
prevent our landing and holding the place. 

" General Williams has with him about three thousand men, 
and, on the occasion of our attack and passing, placed a battery 
of artillery nearly opposite the upper forts, for the purpose of 



280 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

distracting the raking fire from ns while running up ; but the 
fort, having a plunging fire upon them, dismounted one of the 
guns, and killed a man and a horse. 

" It gives me great pleasure to say that General Williams, 
Colonel Ellet, and the army oflficers of this division generally, 
have uniformly shown a great anxiety to do everything in their 
power to assist us ; but their force is too small to attack the 
town, or for any other purpose than a momentary assault to 
spike guns, should such an opportunity offer. 

" It gives me great pleasure also to report that the oflicers 
and men of the ships which accompanied me up the river be- 
haved with the same ability and steadiness on this occasion as 
in passing Forts Jackson and St. Philip. No one behaved bet- 
ter than Commander J. S. Palmer, of the Iroquois, who was not 
with me on the former occasion. It pains me much to limit my 
praise, but I can not speak of those who did not come up. It 
was their duty to have followed me, with or without signal, 
particularly as it was too early and too smoky to distinguish 
signals. I inclose their explanations herewith. 

"As to Commander R. "Wainwright and the officers and 
crew of this ship, I can not speak too highly of their steadiness 
and coolness, and the energy with which they performed their 
duties. This ship was conducted as coolly and quietly as at an 
ordinary drill at general quarters. There was no confusion of 
any kind throughout the whole action, and, as far as I could 
observe the other vessels, the same feeling actuated all the offi- 
cers and crews engaged. 

" The Captain of the fleet. Commander H. H. Bell, was on 
the poop by my side, and, not being able, as I before stated, to 
do much in the management of the fleet, owing to the darkness 
and the smoke, gave his attention to looking up the batteries 
and pointing them out to the officers in charge of the guns, and 
assisting them with his judgment on all occasions. 

" My secretary, Mr. E. C. Gabaudan, noted the time of pass- 
ing events, and acted as my aid when required, which duty he 
performed with coolness and steadiness. 

" I must not fail to mention the coolness of our pilot, John 



PASSAGE OF THE BATTERIES AT VIOKSBURG. 281 

J. Lane, who, althougli this was the first time he had ever been 
under fire, did not for a moment quit his post, but steadily- 
guided the ship in her course. He is not a professional pilot, 
as they can only be obtained by force in New Orleans. 

" All of which is respectfully submitted by your obedient 
servant, 

"D. G. Faeragut, 

" Flag-Officer, "Western Gulf Squadron. 
" Hon. Gideon "Welles, 

" Secretary of the Navy." 

Captain Craven's explanation of his failure to pass the bat- 
teries is set forth in the following report. 

" United States Steam-Sloop Beookltn, 
" Below VicMurg, June 30, 1862. 

" Sm : In compliance with your order of yesterday's date, to 
make my oflicial report of my attack on Yicksburg, on the 28th 
instant, and to give my reason for not following the flag-ship up 
the river, etc., I submit the following : 

" At 3 : 15 A. M., June 28th, got under way, took position in 
the prescribed line of battle, and followed the flag-ship ; at 4 : 05 
A. M. the enemy opened fire upon the advanced vessels. "When 
this ship arrived abreast of the lower batteries the steamers of 
the mortar flotilla, which seemed to be without any form of 
order, obstructed our passage in such a manner as to oblige us 
to stop our engines, and thus delayed our progress. At 4 : 45 
A. M., as the 80-pounder rifle was the only gun bearing upon the 
hill, and able to reach, we opened with that vigorously, keeping 
well inside their line of fire. At 5 : 15 the gunboats, and a few 
minutes after the bomb-vessels of the mortar flotilla, having 
ceased firing, all the batteries, which had previously been par- 
tially silenced, immediately renewed the action, hailing a cross 
fire on this ship and the two gunboats. At this time the smoke 
cleared away ahead of us, and, to my surprise, I could see no- 
thing of the flag or other ships in the line. "While we were 
hotly engaged, trying with our two rifles to silence their most 
annoying battery, fire was opened upon us by a battery of five 



282 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

pieces of flying artillery, from a position about two thirds of the 
way down the hill, and in front of the southernmost battery. 
Being within easy range, we opened our starboard broadside 
with shell and shrapnel, and drove them from their position. 
Finding myself entirely unsupported, except by the Kennebec 
and Katahdin, which two vessels gallantly performed their part 
in the engagement, and knowing that it was impossible to re- 
duce a single one of those hill-top batteries, at 7 : 25 a. m., after 
sustaining their fire for two hours and forty minutes, I discon- 
tinued the action, and at 8 : 25 a. m. came to anchor about two 
and a half miles below Yicksburg. 

" My reasons for not following the flag-ship up the river? 
that is, above and heyond the fire of the forts, are simply be- 
cause, in your general order of the 25th instant, you say ' Should 
the action be continued by the enemy, the ships and the Iro- 
quois and Oneida will stop their engines and drop down the 
river again ; ' and, on the evening of the 2Yth, twice (when in 
the cabin and on the quarter-deck of your flag-ship) I asked you 
if it was your wish or desire for me to leave any batteries behind 
me that had not been silenced, you answered ' No, sir ; not on 
any account.' 

" It affords me great pleasure to bear witness to the excellent 
deportment of my officers and men ; a more cool or a braver 
set of men was never on board of any vessel. 

" We were hulled but twice, one shot taking effect below 
water, on our starboard bow ; and we received some damage to 
our rigging. We have no casualties on board. 

" Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" Thos. T. Ckaven, Captain. 

" Flag-Officer D. G. Farragut." 

On the arrival of Flag-Officer Charles H. Davis, after his 
brilliant success at Memphis, Farragut wrote : 

" Above Vioksbtjeg, July 2, 1862. 
"Davis joined us yesterday. The iron-clads are curious 
looking things to us salt-water gentlemen ; but no doubt they 



PASSAGE OF THE BATTEEIES AT YICKSBURG. 283 

are better calculated for this river than our ships. They draw 
from six to eight feet of water ; we from ten to sixteen. They 
look like great turtles. Davis came on board to see me, and ap- 
peared dehghted to do so. He thought our meeting in this 
world again was wonderful. "We have made the circuit (since 
we met at Port Eoyal) around half the United States, and met 
on the Mississippi ! 

" The river can only be kept open by having troops." 

In passing the batteries of Vicksburg, Farragut had but car- 
ried out his orders to the letter, viz. : to clear the river and con- 
nect with the upper fleet. He was satisfied of the strength of the 
position, and was also aware that, now that Island JS^o. Ten and 
Memphis had fallen, a determined effort would be made to hold 
this important point. General Williams, with his brigade of 
about 3,000 men, did everything in his power to assist the ships 
in the passage up, by placing his field batteries on the Louisiana 
shore, opposite the upper end batteries, to distract the raking 
fire of the enemy; "but their force was too small to assault 
the town, or for any other purpose than a momentary assault to 
spike guns, should such an opportunity offer." Farragut re- 
marks also to the Department : " I am satisfied it is not possible 
to take Yicksburg without an army of 12,000 or 15,000 men. 
General Yan Dorn's division is here, and lies safely behind the 
hills. The water is too low for me to go over twelve or fifteen 
miles above Yicksburg. . . . The Department will perceive 
from this (my report) that the forts can he passed, and we ha/oe 
done it, and can do it again, as often as it may be required 
of us. It will not be an easy matter for us to do more than 
silence their batteries for a time, so long as the enemy has a 
large force behind the hills to prevent our landing and holding 
the place." 

The Government's dispatches to Farragut at this time 
show the anxiety that was felt, and the urgency with which 
they desired him to turn his whole attention to the open- 
ing of the river. One dispatch and its answer are signifi- 
cant: 

19 



284 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" Navy Depaetment, May SSy 1862. 

" SiE : The Department learns with much pleasure that you 
have gone up the Mississippi. The opening of that river is the 
first object to be attained, since the fall of New Orleans. The 
iron-clads of the enemy have made an attack upon our flotilla in 
the west, and have been repulsed. They are mostly fitted up 
as rams, but are not equal to those you have already so glorious- 
ly extinguished. 

" The Susquehanna is the only vessel that can be sent to 
you. The contractors of machinery have disappointed the Gov- 
ernment in every instance, and placed the Department in a most 
embarrassing position as to vessels. I think the mortar flotilla 
had better open fire upon Fort Morgan [at the entrance of 
Mobile harbor], while the more important duty of oj)ening the 
Mississippi devolves upon the other vessels under your com- 
mand. 

The Susquehanna, drawing nineteen feet of water, is ordered 
to go off Mobile and there await your orders. Commander 
Hitchcock is in command. 

" The Kearsarge and Ino, in the Mediterranean, are ordered 
to report to you, and also the Cayuga, at JSTew York, so soon as 
she is ready. 

" I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" Gii)E0N "Welles. 
"Flag-Officer D. G. Faekagut, 
"Commanding "Western Gulf Blockading Squadron." 

"United States Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
'■''Above VicTcshurg, June 30, 1862. 

" Sm : I have to acknowledge the receipt of your communi- 
cation of the 22d of May, in which you mention that the mor- 
tar flotilla had better go off Mobile and bombard Fort Morgan, 
etc. 

" The mortar flotilla have never done better service than at 
Yicksburg, notwithstanding the imperfection of their fuses. I 
have no doubt that they did the forts on the heights great dam- 
age, and on the morning of the attack did much to distract the 
fij:e from the fleet. Should they go to Mobile without the fleet, 



PASSAGE OF THE BATTERIES AT VICKSBURG. 285 

they will liave no protection from the iron-clad rams. The 
rebel gunboats can not stand before ours ; but what they dignify 
by the name of iron-clad rams is an article entirely different, 
and, had they succeeded in getting any one of those on the Mis- 
sissippi finished before our arrival, it would have proved a most 
formidable adversary. We have one now blockaded up the 
Yazoo River, and hope to prevent her from ever getting down, 
and if she does come we hope to be able to dispose of her. It 
is very different in Mobile Bay, where they can run out and at- 
tack the mortar boats and Commander Porter's gunboats, which 
are totally unprotected. I should fear the destruction of his 
flotilla, as there is no vessel there except the Susquehanna, and 
she will find great difficulty in operating in the Bay. 

" I have written, as I informed you, to General Halleck and 
Commodore Davis, and so soon as I receive their reply I shall 
attack Yicksburg again. But the enemy will continue to forti- 
fy the bluffs on this river, and Yicksburg must, in my judg- 
ment, be held as a central and important strategic point. It is 
necessary to send small forces from here to occupy the bluffs 
below. There are none above, between this place and Memphis. 
Grand Gulf, Rodney, Ellis Cliffs, and Port Adams will require 
vessels of war to convoy merchantmen past them, until they can 
be permanently occupied by the army. Every vessel that passes 
up is fired into by the enemy, and the reports of Commanders 
Palmer and De Camp show how severely the Wissahickon and 
Itasca were handled by rebel artillery on a recent occasion. 

" All of which is most respectfully submitted, for the infor- 
mation of the Department, by 

" Yom* obedient servant, 

" D. G. Fakkagut. 

" To Hon. Gideon Welles, 

" Secretary of the Navy." 

The Government no doubt had in view a cooperation of the 
Western army with Farragut, but the news from Corinth was 
not encouraging. General Halleck telegraphed to Farragut the 
3d of July : " The scattered and weakened condition of my 



286 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

forces renders it impossible "for me, at the present time, to co- 
operate with you. Probably I shall be able to do so as soon as 
I can get my troops more concentrated. This may delay the 
clearing of the river, but its accomplishment will be sure to fol- 
low in a few weeks." 

While awaiting these results, the ships were occupied with a 
monotonous siege, and various attempts to annoy the enemy. 
Farragut made a reconnoissance with Davis in the Benton, the 
latter's flag-ship, to watch and get the range of a new battery. 
It was his first experience on one of these iron-clads, and his 
sailor prejudices were not dissipated by the adventure. The 
fire of the enemy had been scarcely drawn, when a heavy shot 
crashed through the armor, and killed a man by his side. Gaz- 
ing for a moment at the frightful spectacle, he coolly remarked : 
" Everybody to his taste. I am going on deck ; I feel safer out- 
side." And there he remained outside, until beyond range. 

On the 5th of July Farragut was deprived of the services of 
a valuable lieutenant in the detachment of Commander Por- 
ter from his squadron. The Government, needing that distin- 
guished officer's services for an important command, had ordered 
him home. Farragut, in forwarding a report of the operations 
of the mortar flotilla in this vicinity, says : 

" It gives me great pleasure to say, that nothing could ex- 
ceed that officer's perseverance in getting to the scene of his 
labors, or the steadiness with which his officers and men have 
carried on the work of demolition and annoyance to the enemy. 
. . . We hope soon to have the pleasure of recording the com- 
bined attack by army and navy for which we all so ardently 
long." 

About the time when it had been almost decided to give up 
the attack on the defenses of Yicksburg, an event occurred 
which materially influenced a change in Farragut's programme. 
On the 15th of July, before daylight, the rebel ram Arkansas 
dashed gallantly out of the Yazoo Piver, pursued by the Caron- 
delet, Tyler, and Queen of the West. She succeeded in run- 
ning the gauntlet of the vessels of both squadrons, and was 
soon under the protection of the batteries of Yicksburg. Most 



PASSAGE OF THE BATTERIES AT VIOKSBURG. 287 

of the Federal boats were anchored with banked fires ; and, al- 
though every available gun was brought to bear upon her, she 
eluded them aU and got safely under cover. She was rendered 
temporarily harmless as a ram by several well-directed shots 
which disabled her machinery and carried away her smoke-stack ; 
but she was still thought to be formidable. Farragut immedi- 
ately made preparations to follow her, as his transports and the 
mortar boats anchored below were now in danger. Just at dark 
he passed the city, keeping up a heavy fire to discover the 
whereabouts of the ram, while Davis engaged the batteries at 
the upper end of the town. "With all their efforts she could 
not be dislodged, being secured under a heavy battery and be- 
hind a large wharf-boat undergoing repairs. Farragut was ex- 
tremely mortified at this whole affair, and, as he expressed it, 
" would have given his commission to have had a crack at her." 
A second attempt to disable this vessel was made by the Essex, 
Commander W. D. Porter, and by Ellet in his ram. But the 
former ran aground, and the latter was so severely handled by 
the batteries that she had much difficulty in regaining her an- 
chorage. The attack was boldly conceived, but was not a 
success. 

Finally, on the assurance from Davis that the Essex and 
Sumter would take charge of this portion of the river and 
watch the movements of the ram, Farragut returned to New 
Orleans ; for it had become a decided conviction with the au- 
thorities that nothing could be done for the present in the 
vicinity of Yicksburg, as troops could not be spared for the 
purpose. The summer, too, was far advanced, and the falling 
waters warned Farragut that it would be imprudent to remain 
longer with his large vessels so far up the river. The sick-list 
was increasing fearfully, particularly among the soldiers exposed 
to the malarial disorders of the locality, and General Williams's 
force also reembarked for Baton Rouge. Commander Richard 
Wainwright, commanding the Hartford, fell a victim to the 
climate, and died on the 10th of August, off New Orleans, la- 
mented by officers and men. 

But Farragut was not destined to be kept long in suspense 



288 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

by the Arkansas. Scarcely had he reached New Orleans when 
a call for assistance from Baton Eouge, on receipt of the intelli- 
gence of the combined attack on that place by Breckinridge 
and the ram, caused him to return hastily, accompanied by the 
Brooklyn, Westfield, Clifton, Jackson, and Sciota, His relief 
can be imagined, on reaching there, to find that Breckinridge 
had been repulsed by General Williams, though at the expense 
of that gallant officer's life, who fell at the head of his com- 
mand. Colonel Hoffman, in describing this engagement, says : 
" Early one foggy morning twelve thousand men, under Breck- 
inridge, attacked our three or four thousand men fit for duty. 
But they did not catch Williams napping. He had heard of 
the intended movement, and was prepared to meet it. Our 
forces increased, too, like magic. Sick men in hospital, who 
thought that they could not stir hand or foot, found themselves 
wonderfully better the moment there was a prospect of a fight. 
Happily a thick mist prevailed. Happily, too, they first at- 
tacked one of our stanchest regiments, holding the center of the 
position. This fine regiment was armed with breech-loaders, 
the only ones in the Gulf. Lying on the ground, they could 
see the legs of the rebels below the mist, and fire with a steady 
aim upon them, themselves unseen. On the right the Thirtieth 
Massachusetts was engaged, but not hotly. The left was but 
slightly pressed. Williams had carefully reconnoitered the 
ground the afternoon before, and marked out his different posi- 
tions. As the battle progressed, he fell back upon his second 
position, contracting his lines. As it grew hotter, he issued 
orders to fall back upon the third position. As he gave the 
order, the Lieutenant-Colonel of the Twenty-first, Colonel Keith, 
as plucky a little fellow as lived, came to him and said, ' For 
God's sake, General, don't order us to fall back ! We'll hold 
this position against the whole d — d rebel army.' ' Do your 
men feel that way. Colonel ? ' replied Williams ; and, turning to 
the regiment, he said, ' Fix bayonets ! ' As he uttered these 
words, he was shot through the heart. The men fixed bayonets, 
charged, and the rebels gave way. The Fourth Wisconsin, on 
our left, waited in vain for the orders Williams had promised 



DESTRUCTION OF THE RAM ARKANSAS. 289 

them, eager to advance, for he had meant that this regiment 
should take the rebels in flank. The victory was won, but its 
fruits were not gathered." 

The ram had not participated directly in the attack, but had 
remained a few miles up the river, where the Essex engaged 
her. She appeared to have some difficulty with her propelling 
power, and, almost immediately after the gunboats appeared and 
opened on her, flames were seen issuing from her port-holes. 
She backed in shore and was abandoned, and although every 
effort was made to secure her, she burned to the water's edge 
and blew up. Farragut writes to the Department : " It is the 
happiest moment of my life that I am enabled to inform the 
Department of the destruction of the ram Arkansas; not be- 
cause I held the iron-clad in such terror, but because the com- 
munity did." 

In a private letter, on his return to New Orleans after this 
occurrence, he writes, under date of July 20th : 

" My last trip up the Mississippi was a fruitless one, but 
it was well done, because it showed the enemy that we were 
prompt and always ready to be upon them with a sharp stick. 
I received the news in the middle of the night, and at daylight 
was off in the Hartford for Baton Eouge, after the Arkansas. 
I had told the Secretary that I did not believe she would ever 
leave the forts at Yicksburg, but that if she did she was mine. 
Before I got there she was blown up. My delight would have 
been to smash her in Hartford style ; but I would have been 
just as well pleased for Bell to have done it ; he would have 
done it just as well. Although BiU Porter did not destroy her, 
he was the cause, and thought his shells did the work ; for they 
would hardly have destroyed her unless he had made the at- 
tack. I insist that Porter is entitled to the credit of it. He 
said to his officers, ' That fellow keeps me uneasy, and, after I 
get my breakfast to-morrow, I will go up and destroy him.' 
And he did, to the best of his ability." 



CHAPTEK XXI. 

EETUEN TO NEW 0KLEAN8 — DESTKUCTION OF DONALDSONVILLE — 

COMMISSIONED EEAK-ADMTRAL DUTIES AT PENSACOLA — BANKS 

SUPERSEDES BUTLEK DISASTER AT GALVESTON — FAERAGUT 

PROPOSES AN EXPEDITION AGAINST PORT HUDSON. 

On returning to New Orleans, Farragut found an accumu- 
lation of business connected with the details of his squadron. 
He was " worked to death," as he expressed it, " but did not 
mind that, so long as all went well with us " (the Federal cause). 
He had carried out his instructions conscientiously, and it was 
some satisfaction to him to feel that the long line of river from 
Vicksburg to the sea was clear of any serious obstructions, al- 
though he was aware that it would require the utmost vigilance 
on the part of his gunboats to prevent the construction of forti- 
fications at certain points above Baton Rouge ; but feeling that 
his presence was needed in the Gulf, and that his vessels were 
sadly in want of repairs, he hurried up his courts-martial and 
dispatches, in order to get off to Pensacola, which had again 
become an important naval station. 

His letters on various topics dming this interval are interest- 
ing, being a free expression of his opinions to those in his con- 
fidence. He says : 

" Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
''Few Orleans^ July 29, 1862. 

" Don't give yourself any uneasiness about any one's trying 
to undermine me. I can see as much as any one, but don't 
choose to act upon it until the time comes. I fortify myself as 
well as I can, and trust to my honesty for the rest. Some will 
try to injure me, but I defy them. There is a feeling among 
some to get home. They have had fighting enough. BeU and 



DESTRUCTION OF DONALDSONVILLE. 291 

some few otliers stick to me. Bell is my main dependence, 
thougli Alden and Palmer are good friends. Some are bitter 
against me, no doubt, because I tell them when I tliink they 
don't do their duty. You know my fault is not oppression, but 
being too lenient; but a man must do his work, particularly 
when that work is fighting^ and if he doesn't I'll tell him of it. 
I don't want such men under my command, and am too glad for 
them to go home and get their ' rights.' I have several of that 
stripe here ; but they have too much good sense to apply to go 
home because I tell them of their faults. I have no doubt they 
will try to injure me, and may do it in the dark ; but let them 
come out in the open daylight, and you will see in what a color 
I will put them before the country. 

" The repulse of McClellan at Richmond was a great blow 
to the Federal cause. There is no doubt in my mind that they 
beat us at lying. They spread reports that they have a hundred 
thousand men, when they have not fifty thousand. You know 
I always told you so from the beginning, and it has been my ex- 
perience all the time. It makes me so angry that I have no 
patience. The officers say I don't believe anything. I cer- 
tainly believe very little that comes in the shape of reports. 
They keep everybody stirred up. I mean to be whipped or to 
whip my enemy, and not be scared to death. I see that Halleck 
is General-in-Chief. Now we want some one to execute for 
him." 

Under date of August 10th, he reported to the Department 
the destruction of Donaldsonville : 

" Sir : I regret to inform the Department that at the town 
of Donaldsonville, on the Mississippi, they have pursued a uni- 
form practice of firing upon our steamers passing up and down 
the river. I sent a message to the inhabitants that if they did 
not discontinue this practice I would destroy their town. The 
last time I passed up to Baton Rouge to the support of the 
army, I anchored about six miles above Donaldsonville, and 
heard them firing upon the vessels coming up, first upon the 



292 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

Sallie Kobinson and next upon tlie Brooklyn. In the latter case 
they made a mistake, and it was so quickly returned that they 
ran away. The next night they fired again, upon the St. Charles. 
I therefore ordered them to send their women and children out 
of town, as I certainly intended to destroy it on my way down 
the river ; and I fulfilled my promise to a certain extent. I 
burnt down the hotels and wharf buildings, also the dwelling- 
house and other buildings of a Mr. Philippe Landry, who is 
said to be a captain of guerillas. He fired upon our men, but 
they chased him off. We also brought off some ten or twelve 
of his negroes, and supplied ourselves with cattle and sheep 
from his place." 

"Writing to his family under date of August 12, 1862, he 
says: 

" It is at last my happiness to announce to you the fact that 
I have received my commission as a Kear- Admiral in the !N"avy 
of the United States, accompanied by act of Congress, on parch- 
ment, of a vote of thanks to myself and the officers and men 
of my squadron, for their gallantry in j)assing Forts Jackson 
and St. Philip, etc. 

" It is gratifying to me that my promotion should not have 
rested simply on my seniority, but that my countrymen were 
pleased to think that it was fairly merited. 

" Yesterday I hoisted my flag at the main, and the whole 
fleet cheered, which I returned with a most dignified salute. I 
called all hands, and read the act of Congress complimentary of 
their achievements. I got under way, and stood down the 
river, leaving a general order to be read to the fieet. I stopped 
at the forts, to let the men see what they had done to deserve 
the resolutions. The enemy's guns are heavy, and plenty of 
them, but we caught them by surprise, although Higgins said 
he had expected us before, but that the time had passed. 

" There is not a word of truth about this ship's going home. 
My work is only half done ; but it is the worst half, I hope. 
Don't believe a word about the rams. There is nothing here 



DUTIES AT PENSACOLA. 293 

that my gunboats can not whip." [Here follows a copy of the 
General Order.] 

"The Commander-in-Chief feels happy in acknowledging 
the honors paid him by the officers of his command, and still 
more so that the Government, in communicating to him the in- 
telligence of his promotion, should have accompanied it by the 
resolution of Congress in which the people and Government 
acknowledge the gallantry of the officers and men of the fleet, 
for the handsome manner in which they overcame the rebels 
in their multifarious forms of forts, floating iron-clad batteries, 
rams, gunboats, etc. ; thereby showing a full appreciation of 
your merits and ability to do your duty under all circumstances. 
And your Admiral feels assured that you will never disappoint 
these high expectations. A new field is now opening before 
you ; but to your ordinary duties is added the contest with the 
elements. Let it be your pride to show the world that danger 
has no greater terror for you in one form than another ; that 
you are as ready to meet the enemy in one shape as another ; 
and that you have never, in your wooden ships, been alarmed 
by fire-rafts, torpedoes, chains, batteries, iron-clad rams, gun- 
boats, or forts. The same Great Power preserves you in the 
presence of them all. 

" D. G. Faekagut." 

"Flag-Ship Haetfoed, Pensacola, August 21, 1862. 

" Bell and Palmer were promoted to-day, and I don't know 
two worthier officers. Bell I always esteemed a good officer. I 
have tried Palmer in the fiery furnace, and he is as true as steel. 

" As to ' intervention,' I don't believe it, and, if it does come, 
you will find the United States not so easy a nut to crack as 
they imagine. We have no dread of ' rams ' or ' he-goats,' and, 
if our editors had less, the country would be better off. Now 
they scare everybody to death." 

The change to Pensacola was a delightful one to officers and 
men, after the harassing work on the river, and the invigorating 



294 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

salt air soon showed its effects in the rapid decrease in the sick- 
list. He writes : 

" September 3d, 
" The health of myself and all on board is excellent, the 
temperature is delightful, and mj crew are getting back to their 
accustomed tone. I received letters from the Department by 
this mail, entirely different from the last. They talk about my 
' wisdom,' ' judgment,' etc., but when the Arkansas was at Yicks- 
burg I was to ' destroy her at all hazards.' I would have given 
my admiral's commission to have gotten up to the Arkansas. I 
wanted a wooden ship to do it. The iron-clads are cowardly 
things, and I don't want them to succeed in the world." 

After some of the reverses of the Army of the Potomac, 
he writes : 

" I am repairing my vessels as fast as I can ; but, if your 
generals go on as badly as they have lately, I don't see how this 
war is ever to end — until we destroy one another. England, 
and in fact all Europe, has looked long for the day when the 
glory of the United States should depart. I still hope some 
man will rise up who is able to conduct the army to victory." 

" September Slst. 

" As to prize money, I never count upon it. If any comes, 
well and good ! But I am not so anxious to make money as I 
am to put an end to this horrid war. 

" You can't imagine what a time I have of it to keep some 
of the officers from going home, as they say, ' only for a week ' ; 
but they hope that when they get North they may be relieved. 
But I won't let them go unless on medical survey. They com- 
plain ; but I tell them that it is of no use, we must all do our 
duty, and when that is completed we can all go home." 

" September Z2d. 
" It is storming now — I suppose the true equinoctial gale, 
and these are the times that try the commander of a squadron. 



DUTIES AT PEFSACOLA. 295 

I could not sleep last night, thinking of the blockaders. It is 
rough work lying off a port month in and month out. I am 
very indulgent when I can be so. I have six vessels off Mobile, 
so that one can always come in for coal. They are all the time 
breaking down and coming in for repairs ; but I generally have 
to remain here to regulate matters." 

While lying at this old naval station, Farragut was joined by 
his son, who found him in the best of spirits. His vessels had 
been very successful on the Texas coast. Galveston, Corpus 
Christi, and Sabine City * had all been captured with but slight 

* Of the operations on the Texas coast and on the Mississippi, Farragut writes 
to the Department : 

" Flag-Shtp Haetfoed, Pensacola Bay, October 15, 1S62. 

" Sir : I am happy to inform you that Galveston, Corpus Christi, and Sabine 
City, and the adjacent waters, are now in our possession. 

" A short time since I sent down the coast of Texas Acting Volunteer Lieutenant 
J. W. Kittredge, with the bark Arthur, the little steamer Sachem, and a launch, 
with which force he said he could take Corpus Christi and the waters adjacent, 
from whence we heard of so many small craft running to Havana. He succeeded 
very well ; took the places, made several captures, and compelled the enemy to 
burn several of their vessels ; but, on one occasion, venturing on shore with his 
small boat, he was surrounded and taken prisoner, and carried to Houston, where 
they paroled him on condition that he should go North, and not serve until regular- 
ly exchanged. He returned here in the Arthur, and I shall send him North in the 
Rhode Island. I next sent the Kensington, Acting Master F. Crocker commanding, 
with the Rachel Seaman and a launch, with a howitzer, to Sabine Pass. He, too, 
succeeded well. He found at the bar one of the mortar schooners — the Henry 
Janes, Acting Master Lewis Pennington commanding — whom he invited to take 
part with him, which he did, and, according to Acting Master Crocker's report, 
performed his duty with great credit, as will be seen by the report herewith in- 
closed. They took the fort, and are still going ahead finely, having taken several 
prizes, one of which arrived here yesterday with dispatches. 

" I next sent Commander W. B. Renshaw, with the gunboats Owasco, Harriet 
Lane, Clifton, and Westfield, to take Galveston, which he did in the shortest time, 
and without the loss of a man. It appears that the first shot from the Owasco 
exploded directly over the heads of the men at and around the hig gun (their main 
reliance), and the enemy left. A flag of truce was hoisted, and the preliminaries 
arranged for a surrender, which took place on the 9th instant. The reports will 
give you all the particulars. 

*' All we want, as I have told the Department in my last dispatches, is a few 
aoldiers to hold the places, and we will soon have the whole coast. It is a much 



296 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

opposition, and Lieutenant-Commander McKean Buchanan, 
with light-draught steamers, had been operating successfully in 
Berwick's Bay and the Atchafalaya Eiver. 

But one disagreeable thing had happened. The rebel cruiser 
Oreto * had appeared off the blockade, with the British flag fly- 
ing, deceiving our blockaders by her close similarity to an Eng- 
lish dispatch-boat, and, though fired upon when the discovery 
was made, succeeded by her superior speed in reaching Mobile. 

Farragut was anxious to seal up this port, and it was the 
general impression that, after making necessary repairs to his 
vessels, an attack would be made. In fact, he made no secret 
of his desire to begin the work, and remarked that " he did 
not care whether the enemy were aware of his intentions or 

better mode and a more effectual blockade to have the vessels inside instead of 
outside. I need vessels of light draught for the small ports and inland lakes and 
waters, and a few heavy vessels (the largest not to exceed seventeen feet draught) 
for outside work. 

" I herewith inclose the reports of Commander W. B. Renshaw, Acting Master 
W. 0. Lunt, of the Arthur, and Acting Master Crocker. Corpus Christi and the 
adjacent waters are all still held by the Sachem and other small vessels. 

" I regret that the next exploit of our small vessels was not so bloodless as the 
preceding ones. I inclose you the report of Lieutenant-Commander Ransom, by 
which you will perceive that they captured fifteen hundred head of cattle e;i route 
for the enemy, and succeeded, by great perseverance, in getting them down to New 
Orleans. In the attack on our transports, however, coming down the river. Lieu- 
tenant Charles Swasey and one or two seamen were killed. 

" Lieutenant Swasey was the executive officer of the Varuna when she was sunk 
in passing the forts on the Mississippi, and was afterward transferred to the Sciota, 
where he lost his life. He was a young man of modest merit, and would, no doubt, 
have continued to live as he died — in the faithful discharge of his duties. I knew 
him but slightly, but feel assured that he deserved all that his commander has said 
of him, and deeply deplore his death, although he died at the post of honor. 
" I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" D. G, Farragut, 
" Rear-Admiral, commanding Western Gulf Squadron. 
" Hon. Gideon "Welles, 

" Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D. C. " 

* This cruiser, built in England for a Confederate privateer, afterward assumed 
the name of Florida, and became notorious for her depredations on our commerce. 
She ran out of Mobile (January 16, 1863,) on a dark and stormy night, and, al- 
though chased and fired upon by the Oneida and the Cuyler, made her escape. 



DUTIES AT PENSACOLA. 297 

not. The only thing he should keep to himself was the day^ 
He showed his son confidentially his plan of attack, and it dif- 
fered only in a few details from the one subsequently adopted. 
He had made no provision for iron-clads, as he did not expect 
any from the North. He distinctly said that he should select a 
day when the tide was running flood, and a light breeze blow- 
ing from the west, so that the smoke from the rebel forts would 
be blown in upon their gunners and disconcert their aim. From 
information derived from refugees, he learned that the forts at 
the entrance to Mobile Bay were being strengthened, and rams 
were in process of construction under the supervision of his old 
friend Buchanan, who, he knew, would eventually give him 
trouble. 

But his hopes of an immediate encounter were not to be 
realized ; for, after he had lain at Pensacola for three months, 
reports began to arrive from the commanding officer in the river 
that the Confederates, with renewed energy, were building bat- 
teries above Baton Eouge, and strongly fortifying Port Hudson, 
about 160 miles above New Orleans. Feeling that his presence 
was necessary, and that he must show that he was on the alert, 
he returned to the Crescent City as soon as possible. In the 
following letter he explains to the Department why he made 
this movement, and in what condition he found affaii's at Kew 
Orleans : 

"Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 

" New Orleans^ November 14, 1862. 

" Sm : I am once more in the Mississippi Eiver. I deemed 
that my presence here would be well, as the French Admiral is 
here with two vessels at the city, and a frigate at the bar. There 
is also an English corvette off the city, and we sailors understand 
each other better in many cases than landsmen. General But- 
ler also informed me that he was operating very largely with 
his forces in the Opelousas, which was an additional reason for 
my entering the river. 

" I inclose herewith Lieutenant-Commander Buchanan's re- 
port. He is commanding the naval forces cooperating with the 



298 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

army in Opelousas, and has already liad two fights with the 
enemy's steamers and land forces. These little vessels require 
a sheet of boiler-iron around them, as a protection against mus- 
ketry, when they would be able to run up the whole length of 
the river and catch all the boats in the branches. 

" I called on General Butler for the purpose of ascertaining 
when he could give me a small force to attack Fort Gaines, and 
to notify him that when the Department wished it I would at- 
tack the forts and go through into Mobile Bay without his 
assistance ; but that it would embarrass me very much not to 
have my communication open with the outside, and that, with 
one thousand men to menace Gaines in the rear, I felt certain 
they would soon abandon both forts, once we got inside. He 
promised to assist in the operations so soon as General Weitzel 
returns from Opelousas, although he urges me to attack Port 
Hudson first, as he wishes to break up that rendezvous before 
we go outside. It will take at least five thousand men to take 
Port Hudson. 

" I am ready for anything, but desire troops to hold what 
we get. The General has really not half troops enough ; he 
requires at least twenty thousand more men to hold the places 
and do good service in this river, and occupy Galveston, whither 
he proposes to send a regiment. 

" Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 
" D. G. Faeragut, Rear- Admiral. 
"Hon. Gideon Welles, 

*' Secretary of the Navy." 

Farragut was hampered in many ways, and prevented from 
making an immediate start up the river to the new point of 
danger. The river had not risen sufficiently, and the Govern- 
ment desired him to move with the utmost caution. Vessels 
were promised him, to take the place of those which had be- 
come disabled from constant service, and, above all, the authori- 
ties fully concurred with him in the idea that no successes on 
the river could be permanent without a cooperating army. The 
Gulf Squadron, too, suffered from the disadvantage of being far 



DUTIES AT PENSACOLA. 299 

away from headquarters, with three squadrons intervening, 
which needed supplies.* So Farragut was compelled to resort 
to the utmost economy, and at the same time keep his vessels in 
serviceable condition. The arrangements for repairs at that 
time, at Pensacola, were entirely inadequate, and there was a 
scarcity of coal and oil, which had now become essential ele- 
ments in naval warfare. He writes from New Orleans, JSTovem- 
ber 27th : 

" I am still doing nothing, but waiting for the tide of events 
and doing all I can to hold what I have, and blockade Mobile. 
So soon as the river rises, we wiU have Porter down from above, 
who now commands the upper squadron, and then I shall prob- 
ably go outside. I do not think the Government wish me here 
after Porter arrives ; but I am agreeable, if they will only let 
me do something to keep the boys up to their work. We shall 
spoil unless we have a fight occasionally. Blockading is hard 
service, and difficult to carry out with perfect success, as has 
been effectually shown at Charleston, where they run to Nassau 
regularly once a week. "We have done a little better than that ; 
we take them now and then. I don't know how many escape, 
but we certainly make a good many captures. Hunter has 
made one a week. But we are all anxious about the Oreto, or 
Florida. The deserters say that she is loaded with cotton, and 
that a great effort is to be made to run her out of Mobile. They 
may succeed, and it is reported that she has sKpped out in the 
night — which I hope is untrue." 

'■'^ December Jfih. 

" "We have a rumor to-day that there has been a big fight in 
Virginia, and that Lee has been defeated after four days' hard 
fighting. I trust it is true ; and, if so, we may be able to see a 
prospect of an end to this war. As Micawber says, ' I am wait- 

* The Navy Department had a herculean task to perform in keeping the large 
naval force on the rivers and seaboard in supplies and in proper condition for offen- 
sive operations ; but Secretary Welles and his able assistant, Captain G. V. Fox, 
showed an untiring zeal and wonderful executive ability in the administration of the 
affairs of the Department, although sometimes under very discouraging circumstances. 
20 



300 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

ing for something to turn up,' and in the mean time having 
patience for the water to rise, etc. 

" My people are carrying on the war in various parts of the 
coast, and it takes all my energies to keep them supplied with 
provisions and coal. I have a great many irons in the fire, and 
have to look sharp to keep some of them from burning. But I 
hope all will come out well. We have either taken or destroyed 
all the steamers that ran from Havana and Nassau to this coast, 
except the Cuba and Alice, and I hope to catch those in the 
com'se of time. I have all the coast except Mobile Bay, and 
am ready to take that the moment that I can get troops to hold 
the forts, etc., or that the Department says the word. But I 
find it takes too much force to hold the places for me to take 
any more, or my outside fleet will be too much reduced to keep 
up the blockade and keep the river open until the arrival of 
Porter from above. But I am always hopeful. No doubt they 
will want to move me soon ; not because they find fault with 
me, but because room is wanted for some favorite to win his 
spurs. But they shall never say that I backed out. I will do 
my duty, and obey my instructions. Don't think that I hold 
on from ambitious motives. I know too well the history of all 
revolutions, not to know that I now have everything to lose 
and nothing to gain. My country has rewarded me for my ser- 
vices, and it is not for me to say I will or I wonH continue in 
command, but to be, as I always am, ready to do my duty and 
stay or go as I am directed." 

One bright day in December (the 16th) some excitement 
was created on the levee by the appearance of several large 
steamers coming up the river, loaded with soldiers, their bands 
playing and the men cheering as they passed the city. It was 
the army of the new commander of the Department, General 
N. P. Banks, now sent to supersede General Butler. The 
change was a surprise to many, and to none more than to Far- 
ragut. His relations with General Butler had always been 
friendly, and in the various military operations in the Gulf 
Butler had lent his hearty cooperation. His administration of 



BANKS SUPEESEDES BUTLER. 301 

affairs as Military Governor has been severely criticised ; but it 
is only justice to say that, in every instance where complaint 
was made of apparent irregularities, General Butler showed a 
desire to have matters thoroughly investigated. 

His policy in allowing vessels to clear from ISTew Orleans with 
merchandise, and his efforts generally to restore traffic, caused 
many adventurers to flock thither, and, under the semblance of 
loyalty, abuse these privileges. Yessels were constantly clearing 
for some Mexican port, only to take advantage of the first oppor- 
tunity to run into a Confederate port. When Farragut became 
aware of this state of affairs, he made every effort to circumvent 
these speculators, and sent the following appeal to the Collector 
of the port : 

"Flag-Ship Hartfoed, 
*' New Orleans, December 10, 1862. 

" Sir : I regret to inform you that Lieutenant-Commander 
Read, of the U. S. steamer ITew London, reported to me some 
days since that he found a schooner loading at the basin on 
Lake Pontchartrain for Matamoras, and he received information 
that she was to run the blockade. Of this I had very little 
doubt, as this class of vessels attempt it frequently, and no 
doubt sometimes succeed. I directed him to keep a good look- 
out for her, and, when she was ready for sea, to examine her 
very strictly, and, if he discovered anything wrong in her pa- 
pers, to seize her the moment she entered the lake ; but, if all 
her papers were right, to let her pass, and I would have other 
lookouts for her. He reported the papers all right, and she 
sailed. 

" He now informs me that he has good information that she 
ran down toward Fort Pike, changed her course, and made for 
Pontchatoula, the well-known depot of the Confederates, carry- 
ing a cargo of just such articles as are most required for the use 
of the rebel army, viz., salt, blankets, shoes, etc, 

" Now, sir, there must be a great difference in our under- 
standing of the wishes of the Government on the subject of 
distressing the enemy. I feel it my duty to break up the salt- 
works aU along the coast, and have vessels employed for that 



302 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT 

purpose from here to St. Andrew's Bay and down to Mata- 
gorda, and with great success. I do all I can to prevent the 
enemy from receiving supplies of any kind, even via Mata- 
moras, and capture all vessels off the coast of Texas bound to 
that port with salt and other articles contraband of war, and in 
a word harass the enemy in every way I can, while I find the 
custom-houses in the United States clearing vessels daily for 
Matamoras. This I believe to be the work of the enemy 
through the medium of men whose thirst for gain far outsteps 
their patriotism. For such I have no consideration, and I now 
give them fair warning through you (and I will inform the 
Government) that I shall do all in my power to break up this 
unrighteous traffic, by fraudulent clearances, with the enemy's 
ports. I say 'fraudulent clearances' because I have every 
reason to believe that the shippers intend their cargoes for the 
enemy, and will therefore land them through the first unblock- 
aded port they may chance to find. It is to these unscrupu- 
lous speculators that I call your attention, and I trust and 
believe that you will give me your assistance by ceasing to 
clear for Matamoras via the lake, and by notifying me of any 
suspicious vessels that may be clearing from the port down the 
coast. 

" I am also informed by many that there is a constant run- 
ning of contraband articles across the lake from the basin by 
small vessels that get passes for various purposes ; but I hope 
soon to have vessels of war of such light draught in the lake as 
will enable me to break up this trade effectually, and expose the 
operations of ruthless speculators who are now dishonoring our 
cause by taking every possible advantage of turning a dollar, 
even at the expense of our country's honor. 

" I shall at the earliest moment make known all the facts of 
this case ('J. L. Davis') to General Butler, in order that he 
may investigate it. 

" Yery respectfully your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Fakeagut, Kear- Admiral. 

" Geo. L. Dennison, 
" Collector of Customs, New Orleans." 



BANKS SUPEESEDES BUTLER. 303 

Farragut writes under date of December 16th : 

" General Banks's arrival here upsets everything. Butler is 
relieved, and goes home. How the change will work I know 
not. I think it will be a good opportunity to enter upon a 
milder system of administration ; but I am satisfied that Butler 
was the man to begin. Banks brought me an autograph letter 
from the President, and says the President told him to rely on 
my ' judgment,' ' discretion,' etc., and we are likely to get 
along very well. He has troops to open the Mississippi and 
occupy Texas. We shall have a new rule in Sodom. 

" If it were only possible to get them to do something in 
the direction of Pichmond, we could soon reduce the war to a 
distressing focus, though it might still be carried on for a long 
time by guerilla bands in the interior, kept alive by ambitious 
military chiefs who in time will sink into insignificance." 

Three days later the Admiral wrote to the Department : 

"Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
" New Orleans^ December 19, 1862. 

" Sib : I have the honor to inform the Department that on 
the arrival of General Banks with his troops I recommended to 
him the occupation of Baton Pouge. He approved of the 
move, and ordered his transports to proceed directly to that 
city." I ordered Commander James Alden, in the Pichmond, 
with two gunboats, to accompany them and cover the landing. 

"Baton Pouge is only twelve or fifteen miles from Port 
Hudson, and is therefore a fine base of operations. I am ready 
to attack the latter place and support General Banks the mo- 
ment he desires to move against it. 

" Very respectfully your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Fakkagut, Pear-Admiral. 
" Hon. Gideon Welles, 

" Secretary of the Navy." 

While Farragut was awaiting the organization and forward 
movement of Banks's army, two serious disasters occurred on 



304 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

tlie coast of Texas, undoing much of the work that had been 
accompHshed there. 

The first was the recapture of Galveston, at daylight, Janu- 
ary 1, 1863, by the enemy. This involved the capture also of 
the Harriet Lane and the small Federal garrison on Galveston 
Island, and the destruction of the Westfield. It ajDpears that 
the attack was made upon the gunboats by several river steam- 
ers, one armed with a 68-pounder, and another with field pieces. 
AH were protected with cotton-bales and swarmed with sharp- 
shooters. The narrowness of the channel j^revented the Federal 
vessels from manoeuvring for mutual support as the steamers 
approached. The Harriet Lane was the first attacked, or at 
least she attempted to run into the steamers and use her guns, 
but grounded and was in turn rammed and boarded. Her cap- 
tain and many men were killed while fighting gallantly. In 
the mean time the Sachem and Coryphaeus — the former a dis- 
abled steamer, and the latter a schooner — having attempted un- 
successfully to protect the soldiers on shore from a land attack, 
were with difficulty worked out of the harbor and saved. The 
Owasco, anchored below the town, moved up to assist the Har- 
riet Lane, without being aware of her capture, but, on discover- 
ing that fact, was compelled to desist for fear of injuring their 
own people. The Clifton also worked through another channel 
to the assistance of the Westfield, which was aground, but could 
not relieve her, on account of shoal water. Captain Eenshaw, 
on the "Westfield, who was the ranking officer, finding that the 
Harriet Lane was in the possession of the enemy, and at the 
same time receiving a summons to surrender, determined to 
blow up his vessel and get the other gunboats out of the har- 
bor. In carrying out this design, he was killed, together 
with the boat's crew, by the premature explosion of the 
magazine. 

The remaining vessels succeeded in passing the bar, and the 
blockade was temporarily raised. 

Farragut's first impulse was to go immediately to Galves- 
ton. It seemed as if his presence was needed everywhere at 
this time, but he finally ordered Commodore H. H. Bell, who 



DISASTER AT GALYESTOK 305 

volunteered for the duty, to proceed down the Texas coast and 
take charge of matters in that vicinity. 

The Commodore had hardly reached Galveston bar when he 
forwarded news of the sinking of the Hatteras, commanded by 
Captain Homer C. Blake, by the Alabama. It appears that a 
suspicious vessel appeared off the bar, and the Hatteras was 
signaled to give chase. Captain Blake, noticing that he gained 
rapidly on the stranger, suspected that some deception was be- 
ing practiced upon him, and prepared his ship for action. When 
he reached the vicinity of the stranger, she was lying broadside 
on, awaiting him. He hailed to ask the name of the steamer 
when within easy speaking distance, and received the answer, 
" Her Britannic Majesty's ship Yixen." He had hardly ordered 
a boat piped away when they called out, "We are the Con- 
federate steamer Alabama," accompanying the remark with a 
broadside. The slight iron shell of the Hatteras was perforated 
below the water line, and her engine was disabled ; and, although 
Captain Blake tried to close with the Alabama, he soon found 
his vessel in a sinking condition. He says in his report : " With 
the vessel on fire in two places, and beyond human power a 
hopeless wreck upon the water, with her walking-beam shot 
away, and her engine rendered useless, I still maintained an 
active fire, with a double hope of disabling the Alabama and 
of attracting the fleet off Galveston, which was only twenty- 
eight miles distant." He was compelled to surrender, and his 
ship sank in ten minutes after the crew had been transferred to 
the Alabama. But for the disabling of the engine and boiler 
in the earlier part of the fight, the Hatteras would have stood a 
better chance of success, as her battery, though of lighter calibre 
than the Alabama's, was fought admirably, giving the enemy 
two shots for one while she floated. 

Farragut, it may be imagined, felt this misfortune deeply. 
He was anxious to go down to Texas in person, but the state 
of the bar at Southwest Pass prevented him. The Hartford 
got aground, and was with difficulty pulled back into deep 
water. The ship was for a time actually in peril. On account 
of this circumstance, and the fact that his services might be 



306 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

required at any time by the movement of Banks on Port Hud- 
son, he gave up the visit and returned to the city. 

Galveston was not regained. Commodore Bell found out, 
by the time he had completed his preparations for an attack, 
that the enemy, with great energy, had mounted heavy guns to 
receive him ; and, as he had not a sufficient force to make an 
attack, nothing further was done, except to blockade. On the 
strength of these successes, and the capture of a schooner at 
Sabine Pass, the rebel General J. B. Magruder published a pro- 
clamation declaring the coast of Texas " open to trade," which 
brought forth a counter-declaration from Bell that " any mer- 
chant vessel appearing off the aforesaid ports, or attempting to 
pass out from the said ports, under any pretext whatever, will 
be captured, notwithstanding the aforesaid proclamation, and 
sent into an open port of the United States for adjudication." 

Although Bell had not succeeded in recapturing Galveston, 
Farragut had such confidence in his judgment and discretion 
that he felt him to be a proper person to represent him on the 
coast, and it was with grim humor that he wrote him on receipt 
of dispatches containing correspondence between foreign con- 
suls and rebel officers on the subject of blockade, " I am glad 
you took occasion to rennarlc on the state of the weather when 
that English man-of-war visited the coast, for it is evident from 
what has recently transpired at Charleston that they are not 
over scrupulous in their representations about the blockade." 

The agitation of the subject of intervention, or the granting 
of belligerent rights to the South, was not conducive to a re- 
markably good feeling between our sailors and those of England 
and France, especially as their men-of-war were constantly 
watching the effectiveness of our blockade. The following 
story illustrates this statement. During the winter of 1862-3 
H. B. M. ship Rinaldo (the same vessel that bore Messrs. Mason 
and Slidell to England after they were surrendered by our Gov- 
ernment) was lying off New Orleans and very near the Hart- 
ford. The officers and men of this corvette were the recipients 
of all kinds of attention from the citizens, and the ship was 
constantly crowded with visitors. This seemed natural, and 



DISASTEE AT GALVESTOK 307 

was no cause of envy, but soon tliey began to learn the Con- 
federate songs on board the Rinaldo, and it was a nightly occur- 
rence to bear them singing. One old sailor of the Hartford 
avowed that he heard cheering for Jeff. Davis. The men 
noticed it first, and they expressed their indignation very 
forcibly whenever they met any of the Rinaldo's men on shore. 
It was Farragut's invariable custom to go on shore in the even- 
ing to visit among the families of army officers and an old 
acquaintance, Dr. Mercer. On one occasion, when accomj)anied 
by several officers, his attention was called to the chorus of the 
" Bonnie Blue Flag," which could be distinctly heard, from the 
deck of the English ship. He turned to Captain Palmer and 
remarked, "We must have a stop put to that." Palmer did 
not think it was a matter that should be taken notice of, but he 
soon saw that the Admiral took it seriously to heart, for he 
added, " K it isnH stopped, we shall have to drop down and 
blow him out of water." 

Captain Hewitt, a gallant and gentlemanly officer, behaved 
very well about the affair when he heard that it annoyed the 
Admhal, and forthwith explained that the singing had all oc- 
curred during his absence on shore. He gave strict orders that 
any repetition of these songs would end in the ship's being an- 
chored some miles down the river, where the crew would be 
deprived of the pleasures of the city. 

The disasters at Galveston had a depressing effect upon Far- 
ragut, although rendering him more resolute. He wiites on 
January 13th, in relation to the Hatteras affair and the death of 
Lieutenant-Commander Buchanan in the Teclie : 

" Yesterday was a sad day for me. I went to see Banks, 
and he handed me a dispatch from the bar, announcing the loss 
of the Hatteras. When I came on board I read another, telling 
me of the death of one of my bravest and most dashing officers, 
Lieutenant-Commander Buchanan, son of Paymaster Buchanan, 
and nephew of Frank. But we drove the enemy from his posi- 
tion, and silenced his batteries. Well, I hope we shall soon 
have some good luck, for I am sick of disasters. I was in hopes 



308 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

Bell would retake Galveston ; but the loss of the Hatteras throws 
him back. 

" Misfortunes seldom come singly. This squadron, as Sam 
Barron used to say, ' is eating its dirt now ' — Galveston skedad- 
dled, the Hatteras sunk by the Alabama, and now the Oreto 
out on the night of the 16th. They saw her, and chased her, 
and when last seen the Cuyler was within four miles of her. I 
still hope the Cuyler may destroy her. I have two fears : first, 
that the Oreto may be too much for the Cuyler ; second, that 
if the Cuyler runs her down, as I think she will, in a gale, as it 
was blowing, both vessels will go down. I would not hesitate 
a moment, and I don't think Emmons will. 

" I fear Bell has given the enemy too much time at Galveston. 
I could not send him any more gunboats. All our steamers are 
in want of repairs, and it is impossible to get them off in less 
than two days." 

We find this letter finished in the handwriting of a boy, and 
we shall be pardoned for producing it. It is merely an echo of 
the sentiments on board the Hartford after these reverses : 

" Father's eyes have given out ; so I will finish this letter. 
He has been very much worried at these things, but still tries 
to bear it like a philosopher. He knows he has done all in his 
power to avert it, with the vessels at his disposal. If the Gov- 
ernment had only let him take Mobile when he wished to, the 
Oreto would never have run out." 

In all his letters at this time, Farragut shows great interest 
in the various movements of the armies and the events taking 
place in other parts of the country. He explains the reason of 
his own inactivity quite forcibly and bitterly : 

'^January 7, 1863. 
" There is a fearful fight going on at Murfreesboro ; but 
they have a stampede on us, and until that is stopped we shall 
be unable to do anything with them. "We get the news through 



COMMENTS ON THE SITUATION. 309 

Secesh in three days. I was disappointed at Biirnside's failure, 
but hope I shall not be in Rosecrans. "We can do nothing but 
blockade, while the people in the army are pouring out their 
heart's blood. 

"As to Mobile, I would have had it long since, or been 
thrashed out of it. I feel no fears on the subject ; but they do 
not wish the ships risked, for fear that we might not be able to 
hold the Mississippi. I was much distressed at our loss at 
Fredericksburg. It was a gallant affair for the soldiers, but 
Burnside should not have attacked the batteries in front with 
nothing but infantry. I never blame men who fight so well as 
they did. It was almost equal to the battle of Wagram, where 
Macdonald marched up to a hundred guns. That Curtis's Divi- 
sion behaved magnificently. Why couldn't Burnside land above 
or below ? " 

'■'■February 1st. 
" You will no doubt hear more of ' Why don't Farragut's 
fleet move up the river ? ' Tell them, because the army is not 
ready. Farragut waits upon Banks as to when or where he 
will go." 

^^ February 13th. 

" We are doing nothing but await the great events, except 
now and then an expedition with small-draught gunboats on the 
bayous. But Banks is not willing to move in the great attack 
yet awhile. They do not want us up above yet. They don't 
want our rank. 

" Bell is still at Galveston, having a watchful time of it. 
Every one is calling on me to send them vessels ; which reminds 
me of the remark of the musician, ' It is very easy to say blow ! 
blow ! but where the devil is the wind to come from ? ' 

" Pensacola writes, ' We are to be attacked, and want more 
force.' Ship Island the same. Mobile the same. And yet I 
am losing my vessels every day, and getting none in return. 
Our disaster at Galveston has thrown us back and done more 
injury to the iN'avy than all the events of the war." 



310 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" February 18th. 

" Your ideas of the war are all right ; but, notwithstanding 
that the politicians have done the mischief, I believe it was 
God's will to have it so. No people could go on with such vice 
and extravagance as ours, without being brought to a reckoning 
sooner or later. As to mj condition in the war, I could not 
hope to be better off under any circumstances in a civil war. 
Every one will have to participate in the troubles of his country, 
and he can only hope for a quiet conscience by doing his duty 
in accordance with his own convictions. This I have done. 
Civil war once commenced will run its course, like a violent 
disease, and frequently changes its character m toto / and thus 
it may be with ours. It is difficult to see the end, and, as you 
say, all we can do is to perform our duty and pray for the best 
results. I scarcely know what to hope. I do not see any im- 
provement in the moral condition of the country. Those who 
can, seem to be doing all they can to swindle the Government. 
And it appears to be as bad in the Confederacy as with us, 
judging from the papers. 

" There seems to be little doing now, except making prepa- 
rations for great battles at Vicksburg, Murfreesboro, and Fred- 
ericksburg. If there is only a decisive battle gained by the 
United States, it will soon bring things to a close ; but that does 
not appear such an easy thing to accomplish. Our people never 
seem to be in any condition, after one of those battles, to follow 
up their advantages. Eosecrans made a beautiful fight ; but 
the bad conduct of his right wing so disabled him that he could 
not follow Bragg. Still, my hopes have always been in Eose- 
crans. We can hear of nothing except through rebel sources." 

" February 17 th. 
"Loyall and I went to the opera last night. Do not be 
shocked. It was a concert given by the young ladies of Kew 
Orleans to raise money for the poor. We all thought we ought 
to go. So I took a box for myself and staff. It was a beauti- 
ful sight, and the singing, I suppose, was very fine. But you 
know two facts : I am no judge, and I am no admirer of oper- 



PROPOSED EXPEDITION AGAINST PORT HUDSON. 311 

atic music. I could but feel, however, that I was giving my 
money to those who would not give me a Christian burial if 
they could help it. Still, poor creatures ! I feel as if I could 
say, ' Lord, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' " 

Farragut, as we can perceive from the tone of his letters, 
was anxious to retrieve the disasters which were having such a 
demoralizing effect on his command, and when the news came 
to New Orleans that Colonel Ellet, in the ram Queen of the 
"West, had run the batteries of Yicksburg and come to grief in 
the Red Biver, he resolved to pass above Port Hudson and 
police the entire river between Bayou Sara and Yicksburg. He 
felt that he could increase materially the discomfiture of the 
Confederate armies at Yicksburg and elsewhere by doing every- 
thing in his power to cut off their supplies from the southwest. 
The question which now arose with him was, whether he should 
wait until Banks could make a diversion in rear of Port Hud- 
son, or proceed with his ships alone. He decided to wait a rea- 
sonable time for the army. Frequent and almost nightly visits 
were made to the headquarters of General Banks, to urge him 
to send troops to Baton Bouge, and thence lay siege to Port 
Hudson ; and later, when the Indianola ran by Yicksburg and 
was boarded and captured, the Admiral announced that the time 
had arrived for his move up the river. Banks now announced 
his readiness to advance also, and the fleet started up to Baton 
Eouge. The spirit and object of this dash past the batteries are 
shown in Farragut's General Order to his captains : 

" Bear in mind that the object is, to run the batteries at the 
least possible damage to our ships, and thereby secure an effi- 
cient force above, for the purpose of rendering such assistance 
as may be required of us by the army at Yicksburg ; or, if not 
required there, to our own army near Baton Eouge. If they 
succeed in getting past the batteries, the gunboats will proceed 
up to the mouth of Bed Biver, and keep up the police of the 
river between that river and Port Hudson, capturing everything 
they can. "Whoever is so fortunate as to get through, will pro- 



312 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

ceed to carry out the views contained in the General Order, that 
is, stop the communication between Ked River and the rebels 
on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, and communicate 
with the army and fleet above, and, if their services are not re- 
quired to assist in reducing Vicksburg, return to the mouth of 
Red River and keep up the blockade until the want of provi- 
sions and coal makes it necessary to return to Baton Rouge. 
Nurse your coal with all possible care. 

" Supplies of coal and provisions may probably be obtained 
from the fleet and army above. As long as supplies can be ob- 
tained, the vessels above Port Hudson will remain there." 



CHAPTER XXII. 

PASSING THE BATTERIES AT PORT HUDSON. 

At Port Hudson, as at Yicksburg, the Mississippi makes a 
sharp turn. The left or eastern bank consists of bhiffs fifty feet 
high, while the right bank is a low, flat peninsula within the 
bend of the stream. The current, which is very strong, sweeps 
out a deep channel under the bluffs, and the water shallows to- 
ward the opposite shore and is filled with eddies. Under any 
circumstances, the utmost skill and care are required to navigate 
ships past this point. The batteries here had been reconnoi- 
tered as early as November 15th, 1862, by the gunboats Kineo 
and Sciota. Lieutenant-Commander E.. B. Lowry, in his re- 
port, said : " Enough was seen to decide the fact that the place 
was strongly fortified and is by nature the most formidable ob- 
stacle on the river. The plan of the rebel fortifications appears 
to be this : to place their works in such a position that, we hav- 
ing passed or silenced one or more of the lower batteries, other 
concealed batteries open, which will throw a cross-fire into the 
stern of the vessels, which would then be exposed to a cross-fire 
from batteries yet to be approached and silenced, and from the 
masked ones left astern." 

It was arranged between Admiral Farragut and General 
Banks that the former should run by the batteries of Port Hud- 
son, while the latter attacked them from the land side, to create 
a diversion in favor of the fleet. On the 9th of March, General 
Banks, who had concentrated a force of twelve thousand men 
at Baton Eouge, about fifteen miles below Port Hudson, wrote 
to the Admiral : 

" The possibility of my failing to meet you on your arrival 
at Baton Eouge leads me to suggest in this manner some ideas 
in reference to your enterprise. 



314 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" Mj command ■will be ready to march Tuesday. If you 
arrive on Tuesday, and move upon the batteries "Wednesday, we 
shall be in position to threaten the enemy in the rear of his 
fortifications, and occupy him during the passage. 

" The important objects to be gained by the passage of the 
batteries will be : Fii'st, the concentration of the fleet above 
Port Hudson, for the destruction of the rebel vessels. Second, 
blockade of Eed Eiver and the bayous. Third, communication 
with naval and military forces at Yicksburg. 

'' Being assured of your success, we will follow our chances 
upon the enemy's position, or fall back upon Baton Rouge, as 
circimistances shall require, and endeavor to establish communi- 
cation with you across the point opposite Port Hudson, Under 
the protection of a gimboat near Prophet's Island, we will com- 
municate with one of the boats above, if possible. There is a 
railway above Port Hudson, which should be disabled if possi- 
ble. The bridge one or two miles from the river bank may 
be burned by some private party, contraband or otherwise, for 
compensation." 

Fan-agut had hastily collected such vessels as could be spared 
for the work, and made his preparations with all possible dis- 
patch. Some of the vessels M-hich had gone Xorth had been re- 
placed by the arrival of the Monongahela, Captain J. P. 
McKiustrv, and the Genesee, Commander W. H. Macomb. By 
the morning of March 14th, the fleet was assembled just below 
Port Hudson. The iron-clad gunboat Essex and steamer Sa- 
chem, with the mortar schoonei's, took a position a mile ahead, 
just under Prophet's Island. 

At five o'clock that afternoon the Admiral received a dis- 
patch from General Banks, announcing that his forces were at 
the cross-roads, ready to move upon the land-side defenses. He 
replied that he hoped to pass the batteries by midnight. 

Besides the mortar schooners and their two attendant gun- 
boats, the fleet consisted of four ships and three gunboats. The 
Mississippi, being a side-wheeler, could not take a gimboat ; but 
one was assigned to each of the other ships, to be lashed on the 




i'Mllm if SOLITUDE LA /re ^^^ 

Order of Attack on Batteries at Port Hudson, March 14, 1863. 

A. Hartford (flag-ship), Captain James S. Palmer, a. Albatross, Lieut.-Com. John E. Hart. B. Richmond, 
Commander James Alden. b. Genesee, Commander W. H. Macomb. O. Monongahela, Captain J. P. McKin- 
8try. c. Kineo, Lieut.-Com. John Waters. D. Mississippi, Captain Melancton Smith. E. Esse.x, Commander 
C. H. B. Caldwell. F. Sachem, Act. Vol. Lieut. Amos Johnson. G. G. Mortar schooners. H. Spot where Mis- 
sissippi grounded. 



PASSING THE BATTERIES AT PORT HUDSON. 315 

port side ; the fastest gunboat being given to the slowest ship. 
The following was the order : 

Haetfoed, flagship. — Captain James S. Palmer. 
AxBATEOss, gunboat. — Lieutenant-Commander J. C. Hart. 

EioHMOifD. — Commander James Alden. 
Genesee, gunboat. — Commander W. H. Macomb. 

MoNONGAHELA. — Captain J. P. McKinstry. 

KiNEo, gunboat. — Lieutenant-Commander John Watters. 

Mississippi. — Captain Melancton Smith. 

By this arrangement, if one of the larger ships became dis- 
abled, its gunboat could tow it along and be protected by its 
bulwarks. All the vessels were trimmed by the head, as was 
Farragut's custom, so that if they grounded it would be for- 
ward first, and they would not be swung around by the current. 
Every protection to life that the ingenuity of the officers could 
devise was called for and adopted. The mortar fleet and its 
gunboats were to keep up a rapid fire from the time the first 
gun was heard till the vessels had passed out of range. The 
following was the Admiral's General Order : 

" The ships will each take a gunboat on her port side, and 
secure her as well aft as possible, so as to leave the port battery 
clear for the enemy's battery on the port side of the river, going 
up, after we round the point opposite Port Hudson. 

" Each ship will keep a very little on the starboard quarter 
of her next ahead, so as to give free range to her chase guns, 
without risk of damage from premature explosion of shrapnel 
or shell. 

" The captains will bear in mind that the object is, to run 
the batteries at the least possible damage to our ships, and there- 
by secure an efficient force above for the purpose of render- 
ing such assistance as may be required of us to the army at 
Yicksburg, or, if not required there, to our army at Baton 
Kouge. 

" If they succeed in getting past the batteries, the gunboats 
21 



316 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT, 

will proceed up to tlie moutli of Eed Eiver, and keep up police 
of the river batteries between that river and Port Hudson, cap- 
turing everything they can. 

" Should any vessel be disabled so that she is unable to pass 
Port Hudson, she will use the gunboat to the best advantage. 
If the captain thinks he can get by, try it ; if he thinks not, 
let the gunboat drop her down below the range of the batteries. 
If both are disabled, then club down with a light anchor, or use 
the sails, as in his judgment may seem best. But I expect all 
to go by who are able ; and I think the best protection against 
the enemy's fire is a well-directed fire from our own guns, shell 
and shrapnel at a distance, and grape when within four hundred 
or five hundred yards. 

" D. G. Fakkagut, Kear- Admiral." 

About dusk the signal was made, with a red lantern dis- 
played cautiously over the stern of the Hartford, for the fleet to 
form. in line and follow the flag-ship. To one familiar with the 
sounds on board a man-of-war, and the sight of answering lights, 
it was soon apparent that the order was being promptly and 
quietly obeyed. But these moments of waiting seemed hours. 
The Admiral anxiously walked the deck, occasionally making a 
remark to Jenkins or Palmer, and watched for the signal " AU 
ready." Some of the vessels seemed to have trouble in raising 
their anchors ; and, as a little tug-boat puffed alongside with 
dispatches for the Admiral, he sent her off to hurry up the 
ships in the rear. Finally the Hartford steamed ahead slowly, 
as the ships dropped into line. 

The scene was one never to be forgotten by those who wit- 
nessed it. The night was closing in rapidly, and not a breath 
of air was stirring. An unnatural quiet prevailed on board the 
ship. The men are standing at the guns, with their sleeves 
rolled up, eagerly waiting for the work before them. Forward 
on the forecastle stands Watson looking after his Sawyer rifle, 
while in the waist of the ship, Tyson, Read, Hazeltine, and 
Wemple, officers of division, move about the deck, cautioning 
the captains of their respective crews, and giving orders in a 



PASSING THE BATTERIES AT POET HUDSON. 317 

low voice. Captain Broome and Lieutenant Higby, witli their 
marines who man the qnarter-deck guns, stand all ready with 
accouterments on, prepared to pull on train-tackle, or to repel 
boarders with their muskets. Ensign C. Jones is looking after 
the Parrott rifle on the poop, and we know he will give a good 
account of himself in the action. Kimberly, the First Lieuten- 
ant, seems to be omnipresent. He is looking after details him- 
self, to see that everything is in readiness for fire quarters; 
splinter nettings up, and the carpenter's department in an effi- 
cient state for repairing damages. One of the most exposed 
positions on the ship, to my mind (if any one place is safer than 
another), is that occupied by Engineer Speights, who stands by 
the bell that communicates with the engine-room. On his cool- 
ness and bravery in transmitting orders from the deck may de- 
pend the safety of the ships. Down below, too, we feel that 
there are others who are a no less important part in the jper- 
sonnel of the Hartford. Chief Engineer Kimball and his as- 
sistants stand at their posts. In the event of a shot or shell 
penetrating the boiler or the steam-chest, they run greater risk 
of their lives than those above them on the spar deck. Fleet 
Surgeon Foltz, with Doctors King, Hugg, and Kennedy, is 
down below preparing for the wounded. Ensign J. Read has 
a general supervision of affairs on the berth deck, and we know 
that in his characteristic manner he is keeping every one up to 
the mark in his division. 

The pulsation of the engine, and the thump! thump! of 
the screw, sounded painfully distinct as we neared the batter- 
ies. The Admii'al stood on the poop deck, with his immediate 
staff around him, moving about occasionally, in that quick, ac- 
tive way for which he was so cons]Dicuous ; now watching the 
vessels astern, now looking ahead for the first offensive demon- 
stration from the enemy. In the midst of these anxieties of a 
commander, his thoughts reverted to his son, who stood beside 
him. He had not time to say much, but in the most affection- 
ate manner gave him some practical hints as to the mode of 
using a tourniquet and stanching a wound. Taking from his 
pocket a simple piece of hempen rope, about a yard in length. 



318 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

to which was securely fastened at one end a cross-piece of wood, 
he showed how quickly the rope could be passed round a 
wounded limb and twisted tightly by means of the piece of 
wood, which acted as a lever.* 

Suddenly a rocket darted up into the air, on the right bank 
of the river, followed quickly by another, and almost immedi- 
ately after came a sharp discharge from a battery in front. 
Only the Sawyer gun forward on the forecastle could be brought 
to bear, but it was put in service as soon as possible. Soon — 
though it seemed ages — new batteries opened out abreast of the 
ship, and our guns replied with a will. The gunners would 
watch for a flash, and then blaze away with alacrity. The 
trouble seemed to be, to keep them from firing too rapidly. 
Such a sight is not often to be witnessed in a hfe-time. As 
the action became general, the pyrotechnic display was magni- 
ficent. The deep hollow roar of the mortars anchored below 
could be heard, in contradistinction from all other sounds, and 
they kept at their work manfully, eliciting more than one com- 
pliment from the Admiral. The thirteen-inch shells, with their 
burning fuses, passed across the heavens Hke meteors. The old 
ship quivered at each discharge of her Dahlgrens, and seemed a 

* A communication written by Fleet Surgeon J. M. Foltz contains these passages : 
"Admiral Farragut's son, his only child, had arrived but a short time before, on a 
visit to his father. The passage of Port Hudson we all knew would be hot work. 
After dark on the evening of the 14th, a few hours before the attack, I requested 
the Admiral to permit his son, who was accidentally on board, to assist me below 
with the wounded, where he could render important service, and where he would be 
in the best protected part of the ship. He was not in the service, and had nothing 
to gain, but everything to lose, by exposure on the quarter deck. The Admiral 
listened to me patiently, but replied : 

" ' No, that will not do. It is true our only child is on board by chance, and he 
is not in the service ; but, being here, he will act as one of my aids, to assist in con- 
veying my orders during the battle, and we will trust in Providence and la fortune 
dc la guerre.'' 

" I also made the same suggestion to the son ; but neither would he listen to it. 
He ' wanted to be stationed on deck, and see the fight.' 

" At one time the Hartford was so near the batteries that a Confederate oflBcer, 
in command of a battery on shore, said he could have killed the officers on the poop 
deck with a ship's pistol, and that he trained a gun loaded with grape on this group 
of officers, but it missed fire, and they were saved." 



PASSING THE BATTERIES AT PORT HUDSON. 319 

mass of fire. Tlie enemy had started bonfires at different points, 
to perfect their aim, and these added materially to the illumina- 
tion and enhanced the grandeur of the scene. The smoke from 
the guns, at this juncture, enveloped the ship to such a degree 
that the pilot called out from the mizzen-top that he could not 
see ahead. The firing, as far as the Hartford was concerned, 
was immediately stopped — and not a moment too soon, for the 
fact was revealed that the ship was running on shore right 
under the enemy's guns. She grounded for an instant ; but, 
owing to the efforts of the Albatross in backing, she paid off 
into the middle of the stream. The Richmond, following closely 
after, and unaware of the accident, loomed up through the 
fleeting smoke with her bowsprit almost over the Hartford. 

After this event, Farragut deemed it prudent to discontinue 
firing, and the Hartford forged ahead under full steam, and 
anchored beyond range, having been under fire an hour and ten 
minutes. 

But the Richmond, Monongahela, Genesee, and Mississippi, 
where are they ? The only answer we get is the booming of 
cannon and mortar and a sight of masts and spars away below, 
in relief against a fiery sky. The Admiral, with intense anxiety, 
watches for the remainder of his little force to turn the point ; 
but something appears to be wrong. In a low tone he re- 
marks, " My God ! what has stopped them ? " 'No one can 
answer that question, but all are straining their eyeballs to 
fathom the mystery. Suddenly a brighter light shot up into 
the sky, and it was soon reported from the mast-head that a 
ship could be seen on fire and appeared to be the Mississippi ! 
Only those who were in the confidence of the Admiral knew 
the distress occasioned by this unhappy announcement. If he 
could only be there to assist his comrades ! But prudence for- 
bade him to risk his ship again and endanger the success of his 
plans. Besides, the firing below was gradually slacking up, and 
it was evident that the remainder of the fleet, for some pruden- 
tial reason, had retired from the conflict. The burning ship 
and bonfires occupied his attention for the remainder of that 
night. It was painful to hear the occasional ejaculations from 



320 TEE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

the spectators on the deck of the Hartford, as they watched the 
destruction of the Mississippi. " There goes her topmast ! " 
one would say ; and the discharge of a heavy gun would elicit 
the remark, "Her battery is getting heated." Occasionally 
loaded shells could be heard exploding. But the old ship held 
together until 4 o'clock a. m., when she blew up with a dull 
roar resembling distant thunder. Farragut now for the iirst 
time went below to take a little rest, after the anxieties of the 
night. 

It was not till some days afterward that the Admiral learned, 
through rebel sources, of the running aground of the Mississippi, 
the efforts of her gallant caj)tain to save her, and her final de- 
struction to prevent her falling into the hands of the enemy. 

The Richmond had also met with an accident when nearly 
past ; and all the vessels had suffered to such an extent as to 
cause their abandonment of the attempt to pass the batteries. 
Captain McKinstry, of the Monongahela, had been severely, 
and Lieutenant-Commander A. Boyd Cummings, executive offi- 
cer of the Eichmond, mortally wounded. The latter died four 
days afterward, at l^ew Orleans. 

General Banks had advanced his force and driven in the 
rebel pickets, but found the defenses too strong, and the garri- 
son, which consisted of 16,000 effective men, too well prepared 
for him to attempt a serious attack. 

The Hartford, in this action, lost but one man killed and 
two slightly wounded. The ship was cut up a great deal in 
rigging, spars, and hull, but fortunately escaped any injury to 
the machinery. One thing that contributed to the success of 
this lucky ship in this battle was the fact that she had a good 
pilot. Thomas R. Carrell knew the river thoroughly, and was 
brave and cool under all circumstances. The Admiral knew 
his worth, and had great confidence in his ability. In passing 
Port Hudson, Carrell stood up in the mizzen-top and called out 
" Starboard ! " or " Port ! " with perfect sang froid. Occasion- 
ally the Admiral would call out to him, and a cheery response 
would afford relief to his fears that some accident had befallen 
the pilot. 



PASSING THE BATTERIES AT PORT HUDSON. 321 

At one time during the action a steamer was reported as 
" bearing down on the Hartford." The affair at Galveston was 
fresh on the minds of all, and it was exciting to see the Admiral 
seize his sword, which was lying on the signal locker (he hardly 
ever wore it in action), and hear him .give the order to " man 
the port battery and call away the boarders," remarking, sotto 
voce, "Let them come." He evidently intended to take part 
personally in repelling any attempt to board the flag-shij). Bnt 
he was not destined to have an opportunity of reverting to the 
old-fashioned tactics. The steamer never appeared. A build- 
ing on the bank and the bonfires had been the cause of the 
deception. 

After the Hartford had reached a place of safety and come 
to anchor (at one o'clock a. m.), in the excitement and disap- 
pointment consequent on the mishap to the remainder of the 
fleet, no notice had been taken of the fact that the Albatross 
had cast off her lines and moved up stream to gain a suitable 
anchorage. She drifted down, however, abreast of the Hart- 
ford on the starboard side. Some of the men on the flag-ship 
discerned through the darkness an object moving with the cur- 
rent, and immediately there was a cry of " Eam ! ram ! " The 
men on deck jumped to the starboard battery, and in a moment 
every gun was trained on the little gunboat at short range. 
But for a prompt answer to the hail of the Admiral, the sequel 
would have been dreadful. 

Farragut was now anxious to hear the fate of his vessels 
below, and, as previously arranged, signal guns were fired at 
intervals during the morning ; but no answering gun could be 
heard. It was impossible to communicate by land, as the gleam 
of muskets and sabers on either bank showed him that his move- 
ments were being closely watched by rebel scouts. Many a 
man, placed in the position now occupied by Farragut, would 
have been discouraged. "With his fiag-ship and one light gun- 
boat he found himself cut off from all communication with his 
compatriots, and in the heart of the enemy's country, with dan- 
gers on water and on land to contend against. Besides this, he 
was acting somewhat on his own responsibility, and was not 



322 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKEAGUT. 

aware how far liis course would be approved bj tbe Govern- 
ment.* 

It was on just such occasions as tbis that bis indomitable 
spirit shone forth. He determined that the passage of the bat- 
teries should not be altogether barren of results, and therefore 
ordered the Hartford to be headed up stream, followed by her 
consort. 

The following is the Admiral's official report of the action 
at Port Hudson : 

"Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
" Off Mouth of Red River, March 16, 1863. 

" Sir : It becomes my duty again to report disaster to my 
fleet, although I know neither the extent nor the attendant cir- 
cumstances ; I shall therefore confine my report to those facts 
which came under my own personal observation. 

" On the morning of the 13th instant, off Baton Rouge, I 
inspected the ships of my command to see that all the proper 
arrangements had been made for battle, etc., and I am happy 
to say found everything well arranged, and the ships well pre- 
pared in every respect. My General Order had been previ- 
ously written, and deHvered to each commanding officer for his 
guidance in passing Port Hudson. I had had a consultation 
with General Banks in the morning, and he informed me that 
he was ready to move against Port Hudson immediately, and 
make a diversion in my favor, and attack the place if he found 
it practicable, etc. At 4 p. m. I signalized to the fleet to get 
under way, and we proceeded up the river to near Prophet's 

* In attacking the batteries of Port Hudson, Farragut had taken advantage of 
the following order : 

" Navt Depaetment, October 2, 1862. 
" Sir : While the Mississippi River continues to be blockaded at Vicksburg, and 
until you learn from Commander D. D. Porter, who will be in command of the 
Mississippi squadron, that he has in conjunction with the army opened the river, it 
will be necessary for you to guard the lower part of that river, especially where it 
is joined by the Red River, the source of many of the important supplies of the 
enemy. 

" I am respectfully, etc., 

" Gideon Welles, 

" Secretary of the Navy." 



PASSING THE BATTERIES AT PORT HUDSON. 323 

Island. Early the next morning (1-itli) we proceeded on up to 
the head of Prophet's Island, where we found the Essex and the 
mortar boats all lying ready for their work. I called all the 
commanders on board of this ship, and consulted Commander 
Caldwell as to the batteries, his information connected with the 
place, and the character of the steamers we saw above (they 
were five in number, two cotton rams for boarding our gun- 
boats, and the others river steamers, transports, etc.). I also 
directed the mortar boats to commence firing, in order to get 
their ranges, which they did, but finding the distance too great 
I directed them to move half a mile nearer. We conversed 
freely as to the arrangements, and I found that all my instruc- 
tions were well understood, and, I believe, concurred in by all. 
The gunboats were assigned to the ships according to their 
speed, giving the Richmond — she being the slowest ship — the 
Genesee, she being the most powerful and fastest gunboat. 
The stations of the others will be seen in the diagram annexed 
to my General Order. 

" After a free interchange of opinions on the subject, every 
commander arranged his ship in accordance with his own ideas. 
I had directed a trumpet fixed from the mizzen-top to the 
wheel, on board of this ship, as I intended the pilot to take his 
station in the top so that he might see over the fog or smoke, 
as the case might be. To this idea, and to the coolness and 
courage of my pilot, Mr. Carrell, I am indebted for the safe 
passage of this ship past the forts. At 5 p. m. (14th) I received 
a dispatch from General Banks, announcing that his command 
was at the Cross-Eoads, and all ready to move upon Port Hud- 
son ; in reply I informed him that I hoped to have passed at 
midnight. At dusk I made signal to the gmiboats to take 
the stations assigned to them. At 9 p. m. I made signal for 
the fleet ' to weigh,' but from some cause or other the Missis- 
sippi and Monongahela did not come up to their stations, al- 
though they answered the signal. At 10 p. m. the tug Reliance 
came alongside, and I sent her to order them to close iip, and as 
soon as I could see the vessels in position we went ahead. My 
instructions to Commander Caldwell were, not to open fire until 



324 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEKAGUT. 

the enemy opened upon ns. I tliink we took them by surprise 
somewhat, as they did not open fire upon us until we were 
abreast of a large light placed on the opposite side to guide 
their fire there. The lookout threw up rockets, and a battery 
soon opened upon us, at about 11:20 p. m., but did not an- 
swer our broadside. Commander Caldwell, of the Essex, now 
opened in fine style, and the mortar boats did their duty in 
the most handsome manner, keeping up their fire until 2 or 
3 o'clock in the morning. This ship moved up the river in 
good style. Captain Palmer governing, with excellent judgment, 
her fire according to circumstances, stopping when the smoke 
became too dense to see, and reopening whenever a fresh bat- 
tery fired upon us ; but we always silenced their battery when 
we fired. At last the current from around the point took us on 
the bow and threw us around, almost on shore ; but, backing 
the Albatross, and going ahead strong on this ship, we at length 
headed her up the river. The upper batteries now opened on 
us, and we could only reply with the two guns on the poop — a 
9-inch and a 30-pounder Parrott rifie — but they both did their 
duty M^eU. 

" When we rounded the bend I saw the Kichmond, as in- 
deed I had done whenever during the action the smoke was not 
too dense, and I thought that she was following us in fine style, 
as I could see the effect of each of her broadsides upon the bat- 
teries. Great, however, was my surj)rise when I found that 
she did not come up after we had rounded the point, but my 
fears were not excited until sufiicient time had elapsed for the 
other vessels to join us. 

" I soon saw a vessel on fire, and apparently grounded, and 
I feared she was one of ours. I next saw her drifting down the 
river, with her guns going off and the shells exploding from the 
heat. We now arrived at the conclusion that one or more of 
the vessels had met with disaster, and the rest had dropped 
down the river again. The firing ceased about this time (2 a. 
M.), and near 4 a. m. (15th) the burning vessel blew up with a 
great explosion. 

" The nature and details of this disaster will doubtless be 



PASSING THE BATTERIES AT POET HUDSON". 325 

communicated to you by tlie senior surviving officer below 
Port Hudson, in command of the fleet. 

" In conclusion, I can only "say that I know not how far I 
am responsible for this sad afltair, but I take it for granted that, 
as the flag-ship came safely through and saw the others follow- 
ing, the disaster must have been caused by an accidental shot 
disabling a vessel, and the others stopped to assist her, instead 
of coming through and letting one of the gunboats take her 
down ; but I have too high an estimation of each and every one 
of the officers commanding those vessels to imagine for a single 
instant that everything in their power was not done to insure 
success. The only fear I had was, getting ashore in rounding 
the bend. 

" I assigned no gunboat to the Mississippi, for two reasons : 
first, I had but three gunboats ; second, she, being a side-wheel 
steamer, could not take one alongside to advantage, and in fact, 
with the exception of the assistance they might have rendered 
the ships if disabled, they were a great disadvantage, 

" If, in this effort to come up and cut off the enemy's supplies 
from Eed Eiver and recapture the Indianola, misfortune has 
befallen some of our vessels, I can only plead my zeal to serve 
my country, and the chances of war ; and I felt that my orders 
of October 2, 1862, fuUy justified me in doing what I should 
have done two months ago, but for the disasters at Galveston 
and Sabine Pass, the strong force of the enemy at Mobile, and 
the inadequacy of my force to meet all these contingencies. 

" I therefore have the satisfaction of knowing that I acted to 
the best of my judgment, and hence am only answerable for the 
imperfection of that judgment. 

" Concerning the Hartford, I can not speak too highly of her 
captain, officers, and crew. All did their duty as far as came un- 
der my observation, and more courage and zeal I have never seen 
displayed. The officers set a good example to their men, and 
their greatest difficulty was to make them understand why they 
could not fire when the smoke was so dense that the pilot could 
not see to navigate. 

" I had two pilots, Mr. Thomas E. CarreU and Mr. J. B. 



326 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARPvAGUT. 

Hamilton ; tlie first-named passed Yicksburg with me, and my 
main reliance was placed upon Mm, for I know his great good 
qualities of courage and skill, and lie never disappointed me for 
a single moment. Mr. Hamilton also conducted himself with 
great steadiness, and was a valuable aid to Mr. Carrell. 

" Captain T. A. Jenkins, captain of the fleet, Mr. E. C. Ga- 
baudan, my secretary, and Mr. Loyall Farragut, who acted as 
signal officer, assisted by Mr. Palmer, Captain Jenkins's clerk, 
were all at my side on the poop deck, and exerted themselves 
to render every assistance in their power. 

" I shall only mention the officers and crew of this ship in gen- 
eral terms, leaving it to Captain Palmer to speak of them more 
specifically according to their merits. To the good firing of the 
ships we owe most of our safety, for, according to my theory, 
the best way to save yourself is to injure your adversary ; and 
although we received some ugly wounds, our casualties were 
small, as we only lost one man killed and two slightly wounded, 
and they were both at their guns again in a few minutes, as 
ready and as willing, if not quite so able as before, to do their 
duty. 

" The Albatross being the most vulnerable of the gunboats, 
and her speed being about equal to that of this ship, was assigned 
to her; and although it was not in Lieutenant - Commander 
Hart's power to do much, still he did all that was in his power, 
and whenever he could bring a gun to bear ahead or astern on 
the port side it was instantly fired. She suffered to the same 
extent as this ship, losing one man killed, but none wounded. 

" I have the honor to inclose the fleet surgeon's report. 

" All of which is respectfully submitted by 

" Yom- obedient servant, 

"D. G. Faeragut, 
'' Eear- Admiral, Commanding "West Gulf Squadron. 

"Hon. Gideon Welles, 

" Secretary of the Navy, Washington, D, C." 

The sloop Richmond lost three killed and twelve wounded. 
Commander Alden says in his report : 



PASSING THE BATTERIES AT PORT HUDSON". 327 

" Our attempt to pass the batteries was frustrated by a shot 
striking the steam-pipe in the vicinity of the safety-valves, up- 
setting them both, and letting off the steam. At the time this 
accident occurred We were well up with the flag-ship, and with 
her were engaging the last battery. The turning-point was 
gained, but I soon found that even with the aid of the Genesee 
we could make no headway against the strong current. I was 
compelled, though most reluctantly, to turn back, and by the 
aid of the Genesee soon anchored out of the range of their 
guns. 

" My noble and gallant friend, Lieutenant-Commander Cum- 
mings, the executive oflicer of this ship, was shot down at my 
side just before this accident occurred, his left leg being taken 
off below the knee by a cannon-shot, while he was in the brav- 
est manner cheering the men at the guns. 

" To say in the most emphatic manner that all did their 
duty nobly and well, under the most trying circumstances that 
men could be placed in, is but a feeble tribute to their devotion 
and gallantry. For more than two hours they stood to their 
guns, and replied in the steadiest manner to the most galling 
fire that I have ever witnessed, not excepting the memorable 
passage of Forts Jackson and St. Philip. Our difficulties in this 
action were heightened by the abrupt turn in the river, where 
the strongest of the enemy's batteries were placed, by the ob- 
scurity of the night, and by the humidity of the atmosphere ; 
this last causing the smoke to settle around us so that we were 
compelled to cease firing, to find our way. 

" Just before the accident to our steam-pipe, a torpedo was 
exploded close under our stern, throwing the water up thirty 
feet, bursting in the cabin windows, and doing other unimport- 
ant injury. Lieutenant Terry's services in this action can 
hardly be overestimated ; to his consummate coolness, which I 
have never seen excelled, together with a quick eye, the rescue 
of this vessel is in a great measure due. Captain Eamsay, who 
deserves especial mention, in charge of the Marine division of 
great guns, had nearly a whole gun's crew swept away by a 
single cannon-shot. Acting Masters Gibbs and Wilson, to- 



328 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. 

gether witli Ensigns Swann and Haskins, fought their guns 
ably and well. Master's Mate Cox, together with my clerk Mr. 
Bogart, who acted as aid and signal officer, deserve mention, 
too, for their promptness in carrying my orders. To Mr. Moore, 
our Chief Engineer, great credit is due for his management 
throughout the fight, and particularly after the accident to the 
steam-pipe." 

On board the Monongahela six were killed and twenty-one 
wounded. The following extracts are from the reports of 
Captain McKinstry, and of Lieutenant Nathaniel W. Thomas, 
on whom the command devolved after the wounding of Captain 
McKinstry : 

" On our way up the river we were fired upon from the 
west bank, principally musketry, which was apparently silenced 
by the Kineo, which was in tow. 

" The firing of the Hartford and Kichmond, preceding us, 
with that of the enemy's guns, had so filled the atmosphere 
with smoke as to prevent distinguishing objects near by. 

"At 11:30 P.M. the Monongahela grounded on the west 
shore of the river, near the turning-point, and was exposed to a 
severe fire for some thirty minutes. Previous to grounding, it 
was reported that the Kineo's rudder had been rendered useless 
by a shot. When the Monongahela grounded, the Kineo parted 
her fasts. A hawser was secured to her again. 

" Soon after midnight the bridge was shot from under 
me, by which I was precipitated to the deck, and seriously 
bruised, and have since been confined to my room. The 
subsequent events on board the Monongahela have been re- 
ported by the executive officer. Lieutenant Thomas, upon 
whom devolved the command. His cool, determined bearing, 
as well as that of the officers and crew in general, deserves 
commendation. 

" Our failure to pass Port Hudson, after having so nearly 
accomplished your [Admiral Farragut's] order, must be im- 
puted to the inefficiency of the engines." 



PASSING- THE BATTERIES AT PORT HUDSON. 329 

"At about 11:30 came opposite the enemy's principal bat- 
tery. Our pilot was on the starboard side of this vessel, and 
the Kineo's pilot on our port side, to guide us clear of Thomp- 
son's Point. But, notwithstanding this precaution, the vessel 
grounded just below the Point, and the wheel became immova- 
ble. The Kineo, being of a lighter draft, broke adrift and 
went a short distance ahead and grounded, carrying away our 
port fore-brace, port fore-top-mast, and topgallant-mast back- 
stays, and the hammock nettings on the port side forward, and 
tearing the port sheet-anchor from its place. At this time, the 
shot from the enemy were taking great effect on our decks, 
disabling two broadside 32-pounders, and temporarily disabling 
'No. 2 eleven-inch pivot. At the same time you [Captain 
McKinstry] were struck from the bridge, the same shot killing 
three men on the port side, abaft the bridge. 

" The Kineo having backed astern, ^e made fast to her with 
a single hawser, and backed our engines. The Kineo turned 
down the river outside of us, and succeeded in swinging us off 
after we had been aground under a heavy fire for twenty-five 
minutes. Our helm now being under command, we cast off the 
Kineo and started, in accordance with your [Captain McKinstry's] 
order communicated from below, up the river, firing at the bat- 
teries abeam with five-second shell and shrapnel. We were 
nearly by the principal battery when the crank-pin of the for- 
ward engine was reported heated, and the engine stopped, the 
chief engineer reporting that he was unable to go ahead. The 
vessel became unmanageable and drifted down, j)assing the bat- 
teries again at a distance of thirty yards. The enemy opened 
on us with grape, and his sharpshooters with musketry. On 
returning from reporting this condition of things to you, I 
found both pilots conning the vessel head down stream, and the 
enemy's shot passing over us. We ceased firing when we began 
to drop down stream. 

" Acting Master's Mate Henry B. Eome was knocked over- 
board by the bursting of a shell. He has since come on board 
unhurt, having swum ashore. 

" I must, sir, speak of all the oflficers stationed at the guns 



330 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

in tlie liigliest terms of praise ; and, for captains of guns and 
quartermasters of this ship, it would be impossible to make bet- 
ter selections than we now have. 

" The vessel is damaged mostly in the rigging, spars, and 
upper works. The enemy's grape swept everything on deck 
before it. From the appearance of the outside of the vessel, at 
least eight shots of different sizes must have gone completely 
through us." 

The loss on board the Mississippi, which was burned, was 
not exactly ascertained. Sixty-four were missing, of whom 
about twenty-four were thought to be killed. Captain Smith 
says in his report : 

" Our approach was signalized by the rebels on the west 
bank of the river, and 'at 11 o'clock p. m. the batteries opened 
fire upon the flag-ship. At this time the Essex engaged the 
lower batteries, the bomb-vessels commenced shelling, the flag- 
ship opened fire, and the engagement became general as the 
vessels came in range. At thirty minutes a. m. the Richmond 
passed down' the river, and owing to the darkness and smoke 
was for some time taken for an enemy by the crew of the 
Mississippi, who were with difficulty kept from firing into her. 

" The Monongahela, which was the one next ahead, could 
not at this time be seen. Supposing that she had increased her 
distance, the order was given to ' go ahead fast,' that we might 
close up. We had now reached the last and most formidable 
batteries, and were congratulating ourselves upon having gained 
the turn, when the Mississippi grounded and heeled over three 
streaks to port. The engine was immediately reversed, and the 
port guns (which had not been fired) were run in, to bring her 
on an even keel ; after which her own fire from the starboard 
battery was recommenced. The engine was backed for thirty- 
five minutes, and the steam was increased from 13 to 25 pounds, 
which was considered by the chief engineer the greatest pres- 
sure the boilers would bear, when the pilot stated that it would 
be impossible to get the vessel off. I then ordered the port 



PASSING THE BATTERIES AT PORT HUDSON. 331 

battery to be spiked, and with the pivot-gim to be tlirown over- 
board; but the latter was not accomplished before I deemed 
it most judicious and humane to abandon the vessel, as the 
enemy had obtained our range and we were exposed to the 
galling and cross fire of three batteries, their shot hulling us 
frequently. 

" The sick and wounded were now ordered up, at which time 
we ceased firing, and three small boats (all we had) were imme- 
diately employed in landing the crew, while preparations were 
being made to destroy the vessel. Up to this time the men 
had been working the guns in the most splendid style, and aim- 
ing at every flash, which was the only guide to the location of 
the rebel works. It was by no means certain that the officers 
and crew would not, even after landing, fall into the hands of 
the enemy, as musketry had been fired from the west shore on 
our passage up ; but, as this was of less consequence than the 
capture of the ship, the crew were directed to throw overboard 
all the small arms, the engineers ordered to destroy the engine, 
and the ship set on fire in the forward store-room. To be posi- 
tive that this was effectually done, the yeoman was sent below 
to make an examination, when three shots entered the store- 
room, letting in the water and extinguishing the flames. She 
was then fired in four different places aft between the decks ; 
and, when the combustion had made sufficient progress to ren- 
der her destruction certain, I left the ship, accompanied by the 
first lieutenant, all having now been landed, and passed down 
to the Richmond under the fire of the rebel batteries. 

"At three o'clock a. m., the Mississippi was observed to be 
afloat and drifting slowly down the river, and at half past five 
she blew up, producing an awful concussion, which was felt for 
miles around. 

" I consider that I should be neglecting a most important 
duty, should I omit to mention the coolness of my executive 
officer, Mr. Dewey, and the steady, fearless, and gallant manner 
in which the officers and men of the Mississippi defended her, 
and the orderly and quiet manner in which she was abandoned 
after being thirty-five minutes aground under the fire of the 



332 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

enemy's batteries. There was no confusion in embarking tbe 
crew, and the only noise was from the enemy's cannon, which 
did not cease until some time after the ship was enveloped in 
flames and the boats had passed out of range of their guns. 

" Whether my conduct shall receive the censure or approval 
of the Department, I beg to assume the entire responsibility of 
the course I have pursued, as no suggestions were made by the 
officers, nor was any consultation called." 

There were no casualties on board the Albatross. The 
Genesee had three men wounded. Commander Macomb says : 

"At about 11:50 the batteries opened fire upon the vessels, 
which was immediately returned by the heavy broadside of the 
Richmond, and in which we joined with all the guns we could 
bring to bear on that side, viz., the bow pivot 100-pounder Par- 
rott, the stern pivot ten-inch, and the starboard after nine-inch 
gun. . . . 

" At 2 A. M. cast off from the Richmond for the purpose of 
anchoring. At this moment, the Mississippi was reported to 
have grounded abreast of the batteries. We immediately pro- 
ceeded up to her with a view of rendering assistance, and found 
her on fire, fore and aft. Sent one of the cutters to search the 
right bank of the river, and rescue any of the officers or crew 
they might find there. 

" I take great pleasure in noticing the coolness and attention 
with which the officers, seamen, and marines conducted them- 
selves during the action. While making honorable notice of 
the conduct of all, I would mention the attention and celerity 
with which the fire, caused by the ignition of a ten-inch shell 
near the shell-room, which had been struck by a rifled shot pass- 
ing through the side of the ship, was extinguished." 

The Kineo lost no men, but was pretty badly crippled, 
especially by a shot that lodged in the rudder-post and made it 
impossible to move the rudder. Commander Watters says in 
his report : 



PASSING THE BATTERIES AT PORT HUDSON. 333 

" We were unable to join in the action until 10 : 30 p. m., 
when, abreast the lowest battery, with which our consort was 
eno-ao-ed we received a fire of musketry from the opposite bank, 
which was replied to immediately with two-second shrapnel and 
grape, silencing them quickly. In this manner we continued 
steadily on, our consort keeping up a brisk fire upon the enemy's 
batteries, whose fire we were receiving, and we watching for a 
renewal of the musketry from the west bank. An hour later, 
when under the principal batteries, and getting along very well, 
although the atmosphere was greatly obscured by the smoke of 
om- guns, and it was difficult to see, we had kept the channel, 
and had reached the bend in the river, one fore-gaff was shot 
away, and a few seconds afterward a shot lodged in our rudder- 
post, splitting it, and rendering the rudder useless. Endeavored 
to work it with relieving tackles and rudder-chains, but found it 
could not be moved to the right or left. Sent a man over the 
stern, in a bowline, to examine the damages, and found the shot 
firmly imbedded between the rudder-post and stern-post, there- 
by wedging it completely. 

" At this time we were receiving the heaviest fire of the 
enemy's batteries, who generally fired over, and our consort 
being damaged also in the rudder was unable to keep the chan- 
nel, and the two vessels were driven ashore by the current, 
which was very strong, and thrown on Thompson's Point, going 
fuU speed. 

" We drove about a ship's length ahead, and grounded within 
ten feet of the bank. The engines being reversed, we succeeded 
in getting off ; backed down to the Monongahela to render as- 
sistance, which was asked for, she being still hard aground, and 
receiving a terrific fire astern of her. 

" Had great difficulty in working the ship in the current so 
as to get near the Monongahela, which we could only do by 
alternating the motions of the engines ; but could not get near 
enough to receive her hawsers, in consequence of the current 
cutting us off. Then resolved to go ahead and try to spring her 
off with the hawser we had, in which we were successful, and 
her bow swung off into deep water. ... 



334 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" Soon after anchoring, heard a call for aid, and sent a boat, 
which picked up an officer and eighteen men belonging to the 
Mississippi. 

" In conclusion I can not speak in too high terms of the 
steady bearing and gallant conduct of the officers and men of 
this vessel, every one of whom behaved well." 

Commander Caldwell, of the Essex, thus describes the part 
which she took in the action : 

" As the flag-ship Hartford passed this vessel, we got under 
way, and, leaving the mortar vessels, proceeded up the river 
some distance and took up a position to enfilade the lower bat- 
teries. At eleven o'clock the enemy fired the first gun. I then 
made the signal for the mortar vessels to open fire, and it was 
continued by them and this vessel without intermission tiU 1:30 ; 
the vessels throwing a total of two hundred and ninety-six shells, 
including ninety from this vessel. The effect of the fire of the 
mortars seemed to be to paralyze the efforts of the enemy at the 
lower batteries, and we observed that their fire was quite feeble 
compared to that of the upper batteries. 

" About one o'clock a boat from the Mississippi came along- 
side with wounded men, and reported their vessel on shore, and 
that a large number of the men were on the opposite bank. We 
crossed the river immediately, and took a number on board. 
The Mississippi had been observed on fire for some time. She 
was now coming down quite fast, in flames, and close in to the 
west bank. I was obliged to recross the river to get out of her 
way, fearing an explosion from her magazine. As she passed 
the mortar vessels, the guns of her port battery were discharged, 
throwing the shells over the vessels, but fortunately doing no 
damage. 

" After she passed down, we crossed the river again, and took 
on board all the remainder of the crew that were there, making 
in all that were received on board about sixty officers and men." 

The Sachem, Lieutenant Amos Johnson, took position close 
by the Essex, and opened fire on the batteries with a twenty- 



PASSING THE BATTERIES AT PORT HUDSON. 335 

pound Parrott and two thirtj-two pounders. She was going to 
the assistance of the Mississippi when she met and picked up 
the boat containing Captain Smith and two other officers. 
Shortly after, she was struck by a raft, which fouled her pro- 
peller. The remainder of the time, till four o'clock, she spent 
in picking up the stray men of the Mississippi. 

The total loss of the fleet in this battle was one hundred 
and thirteen — thirty-five killed, and seventy-eight wounded or 
missing. 

After receiving the reports of this action, the Secretary of 
the Navy wrote to Admiral Farragut, under date of April 2 : 
" The Department congratulates you and the officers and men 
of the Hartford upon the gallant passage of the Port Hudson 
batteries, and also the battery at Grand Gulf. Although the 
remainder of your fleet were not successful in following their 
leader, the Department can find no fault with them. All ap- 
pear to have behaved gallantly, and to have done everything 
in their power to secure success. Their failure can only be 
charged to the difficulties in the navigation of the rapid current 
of the Mississippi, and matters over which they had no control." 

Although Farragut spoke of the action at Port Hudson as a 
disaster to his fleet, yet it had resulted in placing two powerful 
vessels where they could blockade pretty effectually the mouth 
of Ped Eiver, thus preventing the rebels from either bringing 
supplies down that great stream, or sending reinforcements up 
it to join the army of General Dick Taylor. 



CHAPTEE XXIII. 

AT VICKSBTJEG COEEESPONDENCE WITH GENEEAL GEANT AND AD- 

MIEAL POETEE LOSS OF THE ESTDIANOLA AND LANCASTEE. 

The Hartford and Albatross now cautiously continued their 
course up the Mississippi, anchoring at nightfall to avoid the 
immense floating logs, and getting under way at dawn. It 
seemed as if the quarter watch worked all night clearing the 
cable of logs. The sentinels were continually deceived by the 
grotesque forms assumed by these floating masses; frequently 
seeing " boats with armed men " in the gloom, and all on board 
felt the necessity of the utmost vigilance. 

On the morning of the 16th two of the crew of the ram 
Queen of the West came on board in a dug-out, having escaped 
after her capture by the enemy in Red River. That vessel, 
under command of Colonel Charles R. Ellet, had come down 
from the upper fleet, now commanded by Acting Rear-Admiral 
David D. Porter, and, after penetrating some distance up Red 
River, had run aground under the guns of a battery. She was 
disabled by a shot through her steam-pipe, and was then aban- 
doned, many of her officers and crew being captured. 

Farragut felt that he could not be too vigilant. Their suc- 
cess at Galveston had given the rebels great confidence, and in 
bold hands the Queen of the West might be a serious annoyance. 
But he contented himself with keeping a bright lookout, and 
would have liked nothing better than that she should make her 
appearance. At the mouth of Red River occasionally a bank 
of black smoke would reveal the presence of a steamer, but it 
would quickly disappear when the tall spars of the Hartford 
were discovered. 

On the 17th of March the ships came to anchor off Natchez, 



AT VICKSBUKG. 337 

and the Admiral sent the following note to the Mayor, by his 
chief of staff, Captain Jenkins : 

" Sir : I trust that it is unnecessary to remind you of my 
desire to avoid the necessity of punishing the innocent for the 
guilty, and to express to you the hope that the scene of firing 
on the United States' boats will not be repeated by either the 
lawless people of Natchez or the guerilla forces ; otherwise, I 
shall be compelled to do the act most repugnant to my feelings, 
by firing on your town in defense of my people and the honor 
of my fiag. 

" I shall be most happy to see his honor the Mayor on board. 
" Very respectfully, 

"D. G. Faeragut, 

" Eear- Admiral." 

This letter was probably intended to mislead the Mayor into 
the belief that the ship would remain a few days off !Natchez, 
but she was promptly under way at dawn. 

Early on the morning of the 19th an incident occurred which 
showed that the enemy were preparing to dispute Farragut's 
passage. As the ships approached Grand Gulf, several negroes 
of both sexes were observed on the levee, waving their hands 
and pointing to the cliffs above. One old woman in particular 
attracted attention by the dramatic way in which she waved her 
bandanna. The Admiral was not left long in suspense. A 
long line of fresh earth on the hillside soon opened into view, 
and a battery of rifled field-pieces opened on our vessels. The 
rebel guns were concealed, and were withdrawn immediately 
after firing. The Hartford returned the fire as soon as possible, 
but the broadside guns did very little effective work, on account 
of the extreme elevation of the battery. The Admiral con- 
tented himself with signaling the Albatross to close up under 
the flag-ship's port side for her protection, and then passed ahead 
under full steam. 

In this short engagement two poor fellows were killed, and 
six were wounded. 



338 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

There is a ludicrous side to everything, even to a battle. 
The Hartford had passed almost beyond range, and the enemy's 
shot were falling, many striking under the stern, when Captain 
Jenkins remarked to Farragut, " Admiral, this ship goes entirely 
too slow." Just then a shell exploded in the water under the 
quarter, near where they stood, and the Admiral answered dry- 
ly, "• I should think she was — just at this moment." 

Ten miles above Grand Gulf they passed what was then sup- 
posed to be the wreck of the Indianola, but what was in reality 
Porter's " dummy " ram. The Indianola had come down from 
the upper fleet to operate in the vicinity of Eed River, and, 
while encumbered with two coal-barges alongside, had been 
rammed by the Webb and Queen of the West. Being disabled 
and in a sinking condition, she surrendered. This occurred on 
the 14:th of February. While the enemy were making efforts to 
repair her and utilize her guns, Admiral Porter fitted up an old 
flat-boat to look like one of his " turtle " gunboats, with mud 
furnaces and a smoke-stack made of pork-barrels. Fire was 
kindled in these furnaces, and the craft set adrift without a soul 
on board. A tremendous cannonade from the batteries failed 
to stop her, and the frightened authorities at Yicksburg hastily 
ordered the destruction of the Indianola. The countermanding 
order, when the trick had been discovered, arrived just after the 
Indianola had been blown up and sunk ! 

On the afternoon of the 19th the Hartford came to anchor 
about twelve miles below Yicksburg, and three miles below the 
village of Warrenton under the bluffs on the Mississippi side. 
An ofiicer commanding the lower picket-guard of Grant's army 
now boarded the ship, and quickly informed Farragut of the 
situation of affairs in the vicinity. The mass of the army was 
encamped on the Louisiana shore, and stretched along the levee 
for several miles. The low peninsula opposite Yicksburg, called 
Young's Point, the scene of Williams's attempt to cut a canal and 
turn the channel of the river, was now overflowed, and the river 
was pouring through crevasses in the neglected levee at various 
points, presenting truly a scene of desolation. Admiral Porter, 
with several of his boats, was absent with Sherman in Deer 



COREESPONDENCE WITH GENERAL GRANT. 339 

Creek on tlie Yazoo Pass expedition, one of tlie first attempts 
to flank Yicksburg ; but Farragut was not aware of tliis fact, 
and had sent liis secretary, Edward C. Gabaudan, across the 
Point to apprise Porter of his presence. Mr. Gabaudan, how- 
ever, carried out his orders literally, and procuring a horse rode 
through a country infested with guerillas, and joined Porter. 

Farragut was anxious to keep up his supply of coal, and, in 
order to establish easier communication with the forces above, 
cautiously moved up past the apparently deserted village of 
Warrenton. When he was within easy range, a casemated bat- 
tery in the centre of the place opened on the ship, but was soon 
silenced by a well-directed broadside, which drove off the gun- 
ners for the time being. The Hartford now anchored above a 
crevasse on the opposite shore, having sustained little or no 
damage in this short engagement. But the event inspired him 
with the idea that a force of infantry might be landed under 
cover of his guns, and perhaps gain a foothold on the Missis- 
sippi shore. Captain Jenkins made a reconnoissance on the 
right bank immediately opposite, and developed the fact that 
preparations were being made for more guns. In the mean time 
Farragut had written to General Grant : 

"Flag-Ship Habtfobd, 
" Below Viclsburg, March 20, 1863. 

" General : I herewith transmit to you by the hand of my 
secretary a dispatch from Major-General N. P. Banks ; it was 
sent up to me the evening I was to pass the batteries at ?ort 
Hudson. 

" Having learned that the enemy had the Ked Eiver trade 
open to Yicksburg and Port Hudson, and that two of the gun- 
boats of the upper fleet had been captured, I determined to 
pass up, and, if possible, recapture the boats and stop the Ked 
Elver trade, and this I can do most effectually, if I can obtain, 
from Kear- Admiral Porter or yourself, coal for my vessel. By 
my trip up the river I have become perfectly acquainted with 
the enemy's forces on the banks and his boats in the adjacent 
waters. 



340 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" I shall be most happy to avail myself of the earliest mo- 
ment to have a consultation, with yourself and E-ear-Admiral 
Porter, as to the assistance I can render you at this place ; and 
if none, then I will return to the mouth of Ked River and carry 
out my original design. 

" Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Fakragut, 

" Eear-Admiral. 
"Major-General U. S. Gbant." 

General Grant wrote : 

''March 21, 1863. 

" Admieal : Hearing nothing from Admiral Porter, I have 
determined to send you a barge of coal from here. The barge 
will be cast adrift from the upper end of the canal at ten o'clock 
to-night. Troops on the opposite side of the point will be on 
the lookout, and, should the barge run into the eddy, wiU start 
it adrift again. 

" Admiral Porter is now in Deer Creek, or possibly in the 
Yazoo, below Yazoo City. I hope to hear from him this even- 
ing. As soon as I do, I will prepare dispatches for General 
Banks, and forward them to you. 

" I have sent a force into the Yazoo River, by the way of 
Yazoo Pass. Hearing of this force at Greenwood, Miss., and 
learning that the enemy were detaching a large force from 
Yicksburg to go and meet them, determined Admiral Porter to 
attempt to get gunboats in the rear of the enemy. I hope to 
hear of the success of this enterprise soon. 

" I am, Admiral, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" U. S. Geant, 



" Admiral Fabragut, U. S. Navy." 
To this the Admiral replied : 



" Major-General. 



"Flag-Ship Haktfoed, 
''March 22, 1863. 

" Geneeal : I am most happy to inform you that the coal 
barge arrived safely, and we are now coaling from her. She is 



CORKESPONDENCE WITH GENERAL GRANT. 341 

much larger than our necessities require ; but it is a good fault, 
and we will carry her down with us. 

" I see the enemy is building a very formidable casemated 
work at Warrenton. I fired at it yesterday coming up, but 
think I did it little or no injury. I see they are at work on it 
again ; and shall interrupt them to-day with an occasional shot 
or shell, to prevent their annoying me on the way down. But, 
if you think proper to make a little expedition over that way to 
destroy it, my two vessels will be at your ser^dce so long as I am 
here. On my way down I shall pass close to it, and do my best 
to destroy it ; but I suppose that will not amount to much, as 
they will soon be able to repair damages. They do not appear 
to have any amount of armed force there, but quite an exten- 
sive working party, which I have just ordered a gunboat down 
to break up. 

" I shall be happy to receive your dispatches for General 
Banks. 

"There are no batteries between this place and Red River, 
except Grand Gulf, where they have four 20-pounder Pan-otts. 
There are no steamers on the Mississippi River between here 
and Red River, or were not when I came up ; and, if they have 
come out since, I shall have them below me when I go down, 
so that, if Admiral Porter wishes to send down any of his boats, 
he will know what they will have to contend with. I am great- 
ly obliged to you for your politeness, and remain, 

" Your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Faekagut. 
" Major-General TJ, S. Geant, 
" Commanding U. S. Army at Vicksburg." 

General Grant then wrote : 

" Headquarters before Yioksburg, 
" March S3, 1863. 

" Admiral : As you kindly offered me the cooperation of 
your vessels, and the use of them to transport troops to Warren- 
ton, should I want to send an expedition to destroy their bat- 
teries, I have determined to take advantage of the offer. 



342 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" I have directed General Steele to select two regiments from 
his command, and get them to the opposite side of the peninsula 
to-day, ready to embark as soon as in your judgment you think 
it should be done. I send no special instructions for this ex- 
pedition, further than to destroy effectually the batteries at 
Warrenton, and return to their camp here. They will be glad 
to receive any suggestion or direction from you. 

" This is a bad day for troops to be out, but in that particu- 
lar may be favorable to us. 

" Thanking you. Admiral, for your offer of the services of 
your vessels, I remain your obedient servant, 

"U. S. Gkant, 

" Major-General. 

" P. S. — Captain Walke, who is the senior naval officer here 
in the absence of Admiral Porter, asked me yesterday for cotton 
bales, with which to pack two of the rams for the purpose of 
sending them to join you. I promised him anything in the 
world the army has, for the accomplishment of this purpose, 
and presume the vessels will be sent. I look upon it as of vast 
importance that we should hold the river securely between 
Yicksburg and Port Hudson. 

"U. S. G. 

" To Admiral Faeeagttt, 
" Commanding West Gulf Squadron." 

The expedition to Warrenton was finally given up, because 
it was found that the rebels had detached a large force from 
Yicksburg to meet it. In a subsequent letter General Grant 
wrote: 

" "With a little lower stage of water, I would endeavor to 
occuj)y New Carthage [about thirty miles below Yicksburg, on 
the Louisiana side]. This occupied, and one gunboat from this 
fleet below the city, the enemy could be kept out of "Warrenton, 
and also from taking supplies from a rich country that can be 
reached through bayous with flat-boats on this side of the river. 



COERESPONDENCE WITH GENERAL GRANT. 343 

" I see by Soiitliern papers received yesterday, that Yicks- 
burg must depend upon Louisiana, or west of the Mississippi, 
for supplies. Holding Red River from them is a great step in 
the direction of preventing this. But it will not entirely ac- 
complish the object. 'New Carthage should be held, and it 
seems to me that in addition we should have vessels sufficient 
below to patrol the whole river from Warrenton to the Red 
River. I will have a consultation with Admiral Porter on this 
subject. I am happy to say the Admii-al and myseK have never 
yet disagreed upon any policy. 

" I am looking for a mail in to-day, and, should one arrive 
with later dates of papers than you have already been fur- 
nished, I will send them over." 

The following letter, written at this time, shows that Far- 
ragut was exceedingly anxious, on account of the meagre news, 
as to the fate of his fleet below Port Hudson : 

" Below Vicksbueg. 

" It has pleased God to permit me to arrive here in safety, 
and once more to address you from this ill-fated place. I passed 
the batteries of Port Hudson with my chicken (the Albatross) 
under my wing. We came through in safety. Your dear boy 
and myseK are well. He was cool under fire, and bore himself 
well. . . . 

" Would to God I only knew that our friends on the other 
ships were as well as we are ! We are all in the same hands, 
and He disposes of us as He thinks best. The other ships 
failed to come past the forts, and I fear to hear the news from 
below. The fight was nothing to us. You know my creed : I 
never send others in advance when there is a doubt ; and, being 
one on whom the country has bestowed its greatest honors, I 
thought I ought to take the risks which belong to them. So I 
took the lead. I knew the enemy would try to destroy the old 
flag-ship, and I determined that the best way to prevent that re- 
sult was to try and hurt them the most. It was a grand sight. 
I did not fear the batteries so much as the sudden turn in the 



344 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

river. Tlie strong current miglit set ns on shore, and we did 
not miss it much. By hard work and a good pilot, we suc- 
ceeded in getting round, head up stream. "We were hit eight 
times, losing but one man. God was with us. Poor Smith, I 
hear through Secessia, has lost his ship, and the other vessels 
were compelled to drop down the river. I have only this ship 
and the Albatross. I came along up to see what they are doing 
at Yicksburg, and send you this letter to relieve your anxiety. I 
trust it may reach you before the news of the affair reaches JN^ew 
York. "War has its ups and downs, and we must meet good 
and bad fortune with becoming fortitude. One of my greatest 
troubles on earth is the pain and anxiety I inflict upon one of 
the best of wives. . . . 

"D. G. Fakeagut." 

On the 24th he wrote : 

"Although the Almighty continues to bless with his pro- 
tection our dear boy and myself, and in fact my whole ship, 
considering what we have gone through with, it is marvelous ! 
I dread to hear the particulars of the disaster to the remainder 
of the fleet. I think so highly of the captains that I feel cer- 
tain that no slight thing would have stopped them. God grant 
that my fears may prove untrue ! I do not wish you to write 
me via Cairo unless you do so immediately. I shall not be 
long in this vicinity. General EUet endeavored to send me 
down two of his rams to-day. One was destroyed by the ene- 
my, and the other was much injured, but I hope it will soon be 
repaired. I am in hopes we shall be able to get one or two 
iron-clads from Porter, to keep the river trade shut up. 

" I am trying to make up my mind to part with Loyall and 
let him go home by way of Cairo. I am too devoted a father to 
have my son with me in troubles of this kind. The anxieties of 
a father should not be added to those of the commander. . . . 
God grant that he may be as great a comfort all the days of 
your life as he has been to me. Much as it will pain me to 
part with him, I feel that I am making a manly sacrifice for the 
benefit of my wife and child. May God bless you both ! " 



CORRESPONDENCE WITH ADMIRAL PORTER. 345 

" Ton can not imagine the pleasnre I have received to-day 
by a New Orleans paper which gives an account of the fleet 
below — to learn that Alden and Smith escaped unhurt. McKin- 
stry, it is said, wiU lose his leg. I sincerely hope not. Poor 
Cummings, they say, is mortally wounded ; he is a fine fellow 
and a noble officer. The list of killed and wounded was small, 
compared to what I imagined. I now give L. money and send 
him to you." 

The following letter to Admiral Porter shows the deep in- 
terest taken by Farragut in the movements of the army, as well 
as in his own work. The suggestion mentioned was in a meas- 
ure eventually adopted by General Grant in his final attack on 
Yicksburg : 

"Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
" Below VicMurg, March 22, 1863. 

" Deae Admiral : I regret that I did not find you at Yicks- 
burg, and also that my secretary should have deemed it neces- 
sary to follow you up the river in your expedition, to bother 
you when so engaged. 

" The General has kindly sent me the coal down, and I am 
now filled up and all ready to start for the Red Eiver blockade, 
where I hope to find some one of my unfortunate vessels that 
failed to get by Port Hudson. I see by the papers that Gen- 
eral Ellet is anxious to retake the Queen of the West, so that 
I hope you will be able to let two of the rams and one iron- 
clad come down and blockade Eed River for me. The enemy 
have only the Webb and Queen of the "West, rams, and another 
freight-boat protected with cotton, for the purpose of boarding 
our gunboats, but have no guns on board. 

" I felt a delicacy in suggesting anything to General Grant, 
but my idea is that, if he thinks he can not take Yicksburg, the 
best thing would be to go down and take Grand Gulf and hold 
it, and then with 10,000 or 20,000 men go down and attack 
Port Hudson simultaneously with General Banks from below ; 



346 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

and I would aid all I could with this ship and the Albatross and 
any others that might come up to my assistance. 

"The Red Eiver trade will be the great blow to their 
strength. They can get nothing when Red River is well block- 
aded. The General's coal I shall leave at the bayou below 
Yicksburg, for any of your vessels that may require it. There 
is left some four hundred tons, at least. 

" Wishing you every success in all your undertakings, 

" I remain very truly yours, 

*'D. G. Fakbagut. 

"D. D. POBTEE, 

" Acting Rear- Admiral, 

" Commanding Western Flotilla, above Yicksburg." 

Under the same date, Admiral Porter wrote : 

" U. S. S. CllSrOINNATI, 

" Deer Creel, Miss., March 22, 1863. 

" My dear Admieal : I am too glad to receive a communi- 
cation from you, for we have heard all kinds of reports. Above 
all, though, I regret that .... the loss of the Indianola should 
have been the cause of your present position. You have had 
some affairs in your own squadron similar to the Indianola affair, 
causing equally painful results. 

" I will do all I can to send you coal, if I can get out of this 
creek, where I have been fighting for four days without eating 
or sleeping. 

" I sent down a wooden monitor, which destroyed the India- 
nola ! — and, could I have done so, would have sent you a mes- 
senger. I will float you down coal barges — I did it safely to 
the Indianola and ram Queen of the West. It takes a coal 
barge about three hours to get below Warrenton. When the 
coal barge leaves, I will fire rockets, and send the coal do\vn 
on Tuesday and Wednesday nights only. Keep boats out 
for it. 

" I would not attempt to run the batteries at Yicksburg, if I 
were you j it doesn't pay, and you can be of no service up here 



COERESPONDENCE WITH ADMIEAL PORTER. 347 

at the present moment. Your services at Red River will be a 
Godsend ; it is worth to us the loss of the Mississippi, and is 
at this moment the severest blow that could be struck at the 
South. They obtain all their supplies and ammunition in that 
way. 

" The Indianola is full of coal — if you can get it. I sent a 
man down to blow her up, which I hope you won't object to, 
as I hear you think of trying to raise her. You would find it 
impossible ; she is too heavy — though the rebels will get her 
up, having all the conveniences, and the energy of the devil. 

" Do not, for God's sake, let the rebels take you by board- 
ing. They will try it, as sure as you are born. They line their 
vessels with cotton-bales, which resist shot perfectly. Let me 
recommend a very hard cotton wad over your shell, thoroughly 
saturated with turpentine, squeezed nearly dry. I set fire to 
the City of Yicksburg in that way. 

" And now, my dear Admiral, I am so worn out that I must 
stop writing, without saying half that I wish to. The sharp- 
shooters are plugging away at us, and I have to sit down in a 
hot corner. General Sherman is driving the rebels before him, 
and I hope to-night to have a good sleep. 
" Yours very truly, 

" David D. Porter, 

" Acting Rear- Admiral, 
"Commanding Mississippi Squadron. 
" Rear- Admiral D. G. FARRAorT, 

*' Commanding Western Gulf Squadron." 

Four days later Admiral Porter wrote : 

" U. S. Mississippi Sqtjadbon, 
" March 26, 1863. 

" My dear Admiral : I send down to-night a barge with 
the provisions required for the Hartford and the other steamers. 
It will leave here as the moon goes down, and no doubt will go 
safe. If it does not, and the rebels get it, they will have a jolli- 
fication. They have not seen a piece of salt pork for months. 
23 



348 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. 

" I intended to get over to see you, but General Grant says 
that it is a very long walk. I have been so much confined to 
the ship, since I have been here, that I have almost lost the use 
of my legs. All my time is spent at my desk, and I get no 
exercise ; which does not agree with me. My trip up the river 
has been of great service to me, and I feel like a new man. I 
wish we had the opportunity to move about more ; but the 
rebels are up to all our dodges ; they are a wide-awake set of 
fellows. That man Acklin says that the rebels have the guns 
of the Indianola mounted at Red River. Can not you ascer- 
tain whether this is so or not ? She had two eleven-inch guns 
in her casemate, and two nine-inch aft. They could easily be 
recovered, if they are still on board. Tom' ship could hoist 
out the nine-inch, and, by blowing up the casemate, drag out 
the eleven-inch. If left there, they will have them certainly. 
I have a diver here, who will find out all about it, if you 
like. Mr. Kroehl is not ready to blow up the Indianola ; he 
wanted so many things to do it with, that I told him to let 
it alone. Please remember me to Jenkins and Palmer. 
When you come up again, I have room for all hands to 
come and stay a day or two, and enjoy the good things of 
life, of which I keep a stock on hand. I hope they will be 
serviceable. 

" Your son got over here safe, and I took him in. I expect 
he will give you an amusing account of my menage. The first 
evening he came, we had eight dogs in the cabin. I have to 
resort to all kinds of things for amusement. Loyall was quite 
at home on mush and cream and fresh butter, aU of which we 
have in abundance. 

" Kind regards to all friends, and believe me 

" Yours truly and sincerely, 

" David D. Portee. 

" I have written to the Honorable Secretary, explaining how 
it was that the ram Lancaster was lost. She was a miserable 
concern, and would not have been of the slightest use to you — 
all worn out." 



COREESPONDENOE WITH ADMIRAL PORTER. 349 

Farragut had written to Porter : 

"Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
" Below VicTcsburg^ March 25, 1863. 

" Dear Adjiiral : I find myself in a most awkward pre- 
dicament, being here with only my ship and the little Albatross 
as a tender, unable to do anything but go up and down the 
river, or, what is of much more importance, blockade the mouth 
of Ked Kiver for a limited period. I have expressed the desire 
to you to have an iron-clad, one at least, and two rams, to assist 
me in this matter, and I now repeat it, so that, when it becomes 
absolutely necessary for me to go down the river to replenish 
my provisions and resume my duties in command of the block- 
ading squadron, I may do so without reopening the Red River 
trade. There is nothing below or in Red River that could sac- 
cessfully compete with an iron-clad and two rams. 

" General Ellet called on me, to know if I desired two of 
his rams. I replied that I needed such vessels, and would be 
very much gratified to have them, but 'would not interfere 
with Admiral Porter ' ; that I understood his boats to be a com- 
ponent part of your fleet. He said all he desired to know was, 
' whether I considered it to the benefit of the country and the 
cause to have them below Yicksburg,' to which I replied, ' cer- 
tainly.' And he said that was all he desired to know, and that 
he should ran down in the night. I told him that, although I 
was very anxious for the force I had asked of you, and was 
ignorant of your relative positions, I feared he was wrong in 
doing so ; although it might be done in safety during the dark- 
ness of the night, which he said he could avail himself of. 

" I had made an arrangement with General Grant, and more 
particularly with Colonel Wood, of the 76th Ohio Yolunteers, 
to convoy a party to Warrenton and cover the attack at that 
place, for the purpose of breaking up a casemated battery. 
General Ellet proposed that his two rams should carry over the 
party, while we attacked the batteries when they should arrive 
below. All these arrangements were made, the troops ready 
for embarkation, the night serene and beautiful — so much so 



360 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

that I sincerely hoped the General would not think of sending 
his vessels down. And just as I had come to that conclusion, 
between half -past five and six o'clock in the morning, I heard 
the batteries open. I felt that all was lost, unless by the merest 
accident. My fears were realized. The Lancaster was totally 
destroyed. The Switzerland had two shots in her boilers — oth- 
erwise not materially injured. 

" I write this letter for two purposes : first, to exonerate 
myself from any charge of a disposition to interfere with your 
command ; and secondly, with a hope to excuse General Ellet 
from any feeling to do that which he thought disagreeable to 
you. On the contrary, all who surrounded him at the time 
thought, and so expressed themselves, that it would be in ac- 
cordance with your wishes, were you present. 

" In conclusion, I beg to state that I shall now return to the 
mouth of the Red Eiver, which I consider the hmit of my juris- 
diction under my old orders, but which will be curtailed to below 
Port Hudson, once I pass that place, until it is captured by our 
own forces. 

"On my arrival below, I shall endeavor to communicate 
with General Banks across the isthmus opposite Port Hudson, 
when he will have a full understanding of General Grant's 
views as to an attack on that place above and below. 

" Yery truly yours, 

" D. G. Faeeagtjt. 

"D. D. PORTEE, 

" Acting Rear- Admiral, 

" Commanding Mississippi Squadron." 

To which Porter replied : 

" U. S. Mississippi Sqttadeok, 

" Yazoo River, March 26, 1863. 

" My Dear Admikal : Tours of 26th, at Biggs's Plantation, 
has been received. I should have made an effort to get down 
to see you (and hope to do so still), but I thought that you had 
dropped below WaiTenton. I came back and found a great 
many things to do — many letters from the Secretary requiring 



COERESPONDEFCE WITH ADMIRAL PORTER. 351 

immediate answers. General EUet, with his new brigade, also 
belongs to my command, and I have been occupied all the morn- 
ing with him. 

"In relation to the Switzerland, keep her with you, but 
please make the commander understand that she is under your 
command, or he will go ofi on a cruise somewhere before you 
know it, and then get the ship into trouble. She is a very 
formidable ship as a ram, but I would never expect to see her 
again if she got out of your sight. "With her and the Albatross 
you can defy all the vessels the rebels have. 

" The great object is to cut off supplies. For that reason I 
sent down the Queen of the West and Indianola. I got them 
past the batteries without a hurt, as I would have done with the 
Lancaster and Switzerland, had I been here. 

" I would with great pleasure give you one or two iron-clads, 
but I have none that are fit for service just now, and the fight 
at Haines's Bluff must come off soon. The Queen of the West 
or the Webb would walk right through these iron-clads, while a 
ram would keep them in check. They say the rebels have the 
Indianola's guns. Can you ascertain if such is the fact ? At 
low water the whole thing will be exposed. It will be an object 
for you to remain at Red River as long as possible, and I hope 
you will do so. It is death to these people ; they get all their 
grub from there. 

" Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" David D. Porter, Acting Rear- Admiral, 
" Commanding Mississippi Squadron. 
" Rear- Admiral D. G, Faeeagut, 

" Commanding Western Gulf Blockading Squadron." 

Farragut had also written : 

"Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
''Below Vichiurg, March 25, 1863. 

" Deae Admiral : Since ray last letter, I have received your 
last letter by my secretary, Mr. Gabaudan. I am delighted to 
find that our ideas agree so weU on the subject of the blockade 



352 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEPvAGUT. 

of Red River ; but you say nothing of tlie iron-clads and rams 
to assist me in that operation when I shall be compelled to leave 
there and make my way down to New Orleans. I was in hopes 
you would have been here in time and sent me an iron-clad to 
assist in demolishing this casemated battery at "Warrenton — ^un- 
less a force is landed and captures it — a thing I think easily 
accomplished at present, as the town is surrounded by water, 
and assistance, except by infantry, is not easily obtained. 

" My isolated position requires that I should be more careful 
of my ship than I would be if I had my fleet with me. I can 
not get to a machine-shop, or obtain the most ordinary appli- 
ances for repairs without fighting my way to them. I deeply 
regret the rashness of General Ellet in sending his boats past 
the batteries in broad daylight. You say truly that I have had 
some disasters in my own fleet similar to that of the Indianola. 
I consider the Galveston affair the greatest blow that the Navy 
has sustained during the war. It has emboldened our enemies 
to undertake anything, and in many cases demoralized our own 
people. 

" "We are pretty well prepared for boarding. Wishing you 
every success in your different undertakings, I am 

" Yours truly, 

" D. G. Faeeagut." 

The exploit of General Ellet, alluded to in the above corre- 
spondence, was a bold and reckless undertaking, and doubtless 
brought forth the admiration of the enemy as well as that of 
the Federals. General Ellet had signified his intention, on his 
own responsibility, of reenforcing Farragut with the Switzer- 
land and Lancaster. It was prearranged that the attempt should 
be made before daylight on the morning of March 25th. The 
boats of the Hartford and Albatross were placed in readiness to 
assist, in case of disaster. After midnight all hands were lis- 
tening attentively for the first gun announcing the discovery of 
the rams by the enemy. But the night wore on without a sign 
of a steamer. We began to think that for some prudential 
reasons the running of the batteries had been postponed. But 



. CORRESPONDENCE WITH ADMIRAL PORTER. 353 

just after sunrise a booming was heard awaj up the river, and 
two steamers were seen approaching. Gun after gun reverber- 
ated over the hills, and shortly the debris of a steamer came 
floating along, without a living object on its crushed timbers. 
It was the Lancaster. Then came the Switzerland, drifting 
helplessly with the current. But the Albatross soon ran up to 
her assistance, and towed her in safety to the levee. 

It appeared afterward that these vessels had been delayed in 
coaling and provisioning, but the gallant young EUet had deter- 
mined to start " as soon as he was ready." Sending all of his 
crew on shore, with the exception of those absolutely necessary 
to handle the boats, he dashed recklessly out into the stream. 
He was soon discovered, but kept dauntlessly on his way, run- 
ning the gantlet of six miles of batteries. The Lancaster was 
soon a mere wreck, her men providentially escaping on cotton- 
bales intended for the protection of the machinery. EUet, on 
the Switzerland, fared better ; a shot disabled his engine, but, 
with colors flying defiantly, he drifted down out of range. Al- 
together, it was one of the most desperate undertakings of the 
war. 

In answer to the appeal for iron-clads, Admiral Porter 
wrote: 

*' U. S. Mississippi Squadbon, 

" Tazoo River, March 28, 1863. 

" My Deae Admiral : You misunderstood the purport of 
my letter. I never supposed for a moment that you wanted the 
iron-clads for your own security, for the Hartford could whip 
all the rebel navy in these waters. I only spoke of the greater 
efl&ciency of the Switzerland. I have here only five iron-clads 
that can stem the current — not mentioning the Lafayette, which 
I had brought down here to have her completed. She will not 
be fit for service for a time to come. 

" If you could see the five iron-clads that have just returned 
from the most remarkable expedition vessels ever started on, you 
would not think them very suitable for running any distance. 
They are almost to pieces — rudders gone, pipes down, every 
boat smashed, decks swept, and wheels broken. 



354 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" ' The play was worth the candle,' and, had we got through 
and formed a junction with the expedition that got through 
Tazoo Pass, it would have settled Yicksburg. But I could not 
afford to run any risks, and, our army being far behind for want 
of transportation, I gave it up (as I since found out) very wise- 
ly, as the enemy sent 6,000 men up there with heavy guns. So 
we had all our knocking to pieces for nothing. That I don't 
mind, as long as I lose none of the vessels ; for our people at 
the ISTorth howl so over the loss of an old rat-trap that it 
makes me caiitious. My idea is, ' nothing venture, nothing 
gain.' 

" I thought you wanted the iron-clads right off, which could 
not very well be done ; but I shall have no difficulty in getting 
a force to Red Biver before you leave. We are going to work 
our way down the Bayou Macon, and some morning you will 
see us coming out of the mouth of the Red Eiver. Please don't 
send a broadside into us. 

" The route I speak of is very practicable, and is now open. 
There will be some fighting to do, but that we get paid for. 

" I hope you received your provisions. I heard a gun fire 
about the time the barge arrived opposite the town, which I 
presume was an alarm given, caused by the smell of pork, which 
the nostrils of the rebels are not used to. Could they have cap- 
tured that barge, they would have saluted with two hundred 
guns. 

" I don't know yet how our expedition down the Yazoo Pass 
gets along. They waited one week longer than they should 
have done — for some soldiers ; when their orders were to push 
on and wait for nothing. They gave the enemy just time to 
erect a fort of six heavy guns, which our fellows have ybeen 
fighting ever since, with a loss of thirty-six killed and wounded. 

" When I get all my chickens together, we will commence 
the descent of the Bayou Macon into Red River. If the rebels 
have not recovered those nine-inch guns, we can clean out that 
country in a short time. If they have got them, they can give 
us trouble, in a narrow river whfere only two vessels can fight 
abreast. 



COREESPONDENOE WITH ADMIRAL PORTER. 355 

" Tour son went up last night. I sent him in one of our 
vessels. 

" I was sorry not to see you before you went, but I was so 
worn out after the late expedition that I was not fit to attempt 
the walk. I have been suffering lately with dysentery, and am 
not strong. Remember me to Palmer and Jenkins, and, when 
you meet my old friend Alden, say a thousand kind things for 
me. I hope it is not true that Cummings is killed. He was a 
gallant officer, and too good a man to lose. 

" With my best wishes for your success and safe arrival 
below, 

" I remain truly and sincerely yours, 

" David D. Poetee, 

" Acting Rear-Admiral. 
" Rear- Admiral D. G-. Faeeagtjt, 

*' Commanding "Western Gulf Blockading Squadron." 

The following letter was written by Farragut just before 
leaving the vicinity of Vicksburg : 

" Below Yioksbueg, March ^7, 1863. 
" My Dear Boy : I was gratified to hear that Colonel Ab- 
bot treated you so kindly, and that you got up to Porter's fleet 
with so much ease. I trust in God for your safe arrival home 
to the embrace of your dear mother, whose sufferings must have 
been great to have a husband and son in such constant danger. 
But she knows that our lives are always in the hands of the 
Supreme Euler. I trust you will make up for the lost time you 
have sustained by the temporary sojourn with me. I hope it is 
not time wasted. You have seen much in a short time, and 
know what your father's sufferings have been for the honors he 
has gained ; that his life has not been spent on a bed of roses. 
But, my son, follow your father's rules to the best of your abil- 
ity. Do as little wrong as the weakness of your nature will per- 
mit, and as much good as you can. Pray to God to give you 
good understanding, and keep you from evil and protect you 
from harm. I know you will always be affectionate to your 



356 THE LITE OF DAYID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

mother, and make amends for your father's absence and take 
care of her when he is gone. You know we must all fade away 
by turns. God grant that you may both enjoy a long and happy 
life, and be free from this terrible affliction, civil war, which 
miserable demagogues have brought upon our once happy coun- 
try. May God bless and preserve you, my devoted son. 

" Your affectionate father, 

"D. G. Fakeagut." 



CHAPTEK XXIY. 

PATROLLING THE RIVER. APPEALS FOE IRON-CLADS. — THE SIEGE OF 

PORT HUDSON. CORRESPONDENCE WITH BANKS AND PORTER. 

Farragut in his flag-ship now dropped down the river, fol- 
lowed by the Albatross and Switzerland. "His friends" at 
Grand Gulf gave him a warm reception. Three heavy guns had 
been sent down from Yicksburg for his especial benefit. But 
this time he was better prepared for them, and succeeded in 
silencing their battery without serious damage to his vessels. 
One fine young sailor, named William Jones, was mortally 
wounded; the bolt of a stanchion that had been shot away 
passed through him. He was carrying a shell at the time, and 
made an effort to lift it while the bolt was in his body. He 
died on the following day, regretted by officers and crew. 

The mouth of Red River was reached on the 2d of April, 
without further annoyance, although some excellent points for 
batteries had been passed. The Albatross was sent off on a 
reconnoissance, and returned with fresh provisions. Many skiffs 
and flat-boats were destroyed, and at one place a large supply 
of corn intended for Port Hudson. 

The 6th of April found the Hartford at anchor a few miles 
above Port Hudson, within full view of the fortifications, and 
it was not without pride and curiosity that this stronghold was 
examined. It seemed wonderful to think of the ships passing 
the concentrated fire of so many guns with comparatively so 
small a loss of life. 

Farragut was now anxious to apprise General Banks of his 
return, and to test the practicability of communicating with his 
friends across the peninsula which makes out opposite the town ; 
but the enemy's videttes were watching his movements, and an 
attempt at decoy signaling was discovered by Captain Eaton, 



358 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

the army signal officer on board. It was impossible to send a 
messenger by land. Guns fired at intervals, and rockets sent up 
at niglit, failed to elicit a response. 

At this juncture the Admiral's secretary, Mr. Edward C. 
Gabaudan, volunteered to take a dispatch to the fleet below, by 
water. A small dug-out was covered with twigs, ingeniously 
arranged to resemble the floating trees which were a common 
sight on the Mississippi. At nightfall Mr. Gabaudan lay down 
in the bottom of his little craft under the brush, with his re- 
volver and a small paddle by his side, and silently drifted out 
into the current, followed by the prayers of his shipmates. He 
reached the Richmond in safety, with but one adventure, which 
came near being his last. His frail bark was swept in so close 
to the shore that he could distinctly hear the sentinels talking. 
The size of his craft attracted attention, and a boat put out to 
make an examination. Gabaudan felt that his time had come ; 
but with finger on the trigger of his revolver, he determined to 
fight for his liberty, and quietly awaited discovery. Fortunate- 
ly for him, the rebels were not in a pulling humor that night, 
and seemed satisfied with a cursory glance. His mind was 
greatly reheved when they pronounced him to be "only a log," 
and returned to the shore. About ten o'clock p. m. a rocket was 
seen to dart up into the air some miles below, a signal of the 
success of the perilous undertaking. 

The Hartford now returned to the mouth of Red River, 
chasing two steamers en route, one of which was captured by 
the Albatross in one of her expeditions. 

While lying here, Farragut captured a rebel mail, through 
which he got the information that an attempt would be made 
to board him with river boats, similar to the attack at Galves- 
ton. He therefore took every precaution against such a sur- 
prise, by fastening heavy logs alongside to prevent his vessel 
from being rammed. This was in addition to the expedient 
previously adopted, of lowering the yards athwart the bulwarks, 
and fastening heavy chain cables to their extremities, forming a 
perfect cordon around the ship. These preparations evidently 
had a good moral effect. 



PATROLLING THE EIVER. 359 

On tlie 15tli of 'April, wlien the Hartford had returned to 
Port Hudson, Mr. Gabaudan came on board, accompanied by 
several anny officers. The right bank was now free from the 
enemy in force, though the party narrowly escaped capture by 
guerillas. Captain Eaton was enabled to carry on an animated 
signaling with the Richmond, from the masthead of the ship. 
The following semi-official letter was sent to General Banks : 

" U. S. Flag-Ship Hartford, 
^' Above Fort Hudson, April IS, 1863. 

" My Deae General : Thanks to an overruling Providence, 
I am once more back again within communicating distance of 
you. I avail myseK of this my first opportunity to send you 
the communication of General Grant, together with this dis- 
patch. It is my intention to wait here, and maintain a rigid 
blockade of Eed Piver until the arrival or failure of the forces 
above to join me and make the attack upon Port Hudson as in- 
dicated in the communication of General Grant. I confess that 
my ignorance of the inland navigation to which he alludes pre- 
vents me from being able to express an opinion as to when they 
will accomplish their work, or whether they will be able to ac- 
complish it at all. If it can be done, it will be a clever 
thing. . . . 

" The failure of my vessels to get by Port Hudson was a sad 
blow to me, and yet it was what might naturally be looked for 
in a battle. A chance shot disabled the Richmond, and the 
pilots did the rest by running the ships on shore. We escaped 
with only one man killed and two slightly wounded, and the 
ship not at all injured, although frequently struck. 

" I have fought the batteries at Grand Gulf and Warrenton 
five times since, and have lost three more men ; but, taken al- 
together, we have escaped very well. Had two more of my 
vessels gotten past, I should not have been compelled to apply 
to Admiral Porter for additional vessels to blockade Eed Piver. 
As it is, I have only one ram, the Switzerland. My force being 
so small, we are compelled to keep together, but I hope it will 
not be long before we hear from the upper fleet. . . . 



360 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

" In order to stop the supply of provisions to Port Hudson 
and Yieksburg, I returned as soon as I could get my supplies 
and repair damages to the Switzerland. . . . 

" I was much gratified to learn that you were in possession 
of the point opposite Port Hudson. I hope you will be able to 
keep open the communication. I shall not make my visits 
often, however, as I wish to prevent the boats from going up or 
down the river from Red River. I suppose they will attack 
me soon. I am all ready for them. We shall get used to fight- 
ing after a while. 

" My feelings have been most severely exercised in conse- 
quence of the disaster at Port Hudson, not knowing what had 
caused it, and having such implicit faith in the several com- 
manders. I felt and feared the worst consequences to them, and 
was greatly relieved when I learned, through rebel sources, that 
none of them were killed. But poor Cummings was a great 
loss, both to the country and to his family. The injury to 
McKuistry, I hope, is not so bad as they made out. The fail- 
ure to get through, I know, was almost death to them all. Poor 
Smith ! I was afraid to hear from him. I saw all from a dis- 
tance, yet was unable to help them. I blamed no one, and I 
told the Department I knew they did all in their power to get 
past. 

" Yery truly yours, 

"D. G. Faekagut." 

Farragut now learned of the investment of Port Hudson by 
the army, and the expedition by way of Brashear City to Alex- 
andria on Red River. He kept his two vessels in constant mo- 
tion patrolling, and did all in his power, with this limited force, 
to destroy provisions and boats. He sent the Switzerland up to 
Grand Gulf, reports having reached him of Admiral Porter's 
engagement there and his movement down the river. At this 
time he wrote to Porter : 

" Off Bed Eiver, May 2, 1863. 

" Dear Admiral : I am still here blockading this river, and 
doing all in my power to cut off the supplies of the enemy. I 



APPEALS FOR IRON-CLADS. 361 

go down to the mouth of Old River, just above Port Hudson, 
once a week, to communicate with the fleet below. General 
Banks has made a raid into the Opelousas country, defeated 
Taylor, captured 2,000 prisoners and some of their best officers, 
has pushed on to Opelousas, and when last heard from was 
within thirty miles of Alexandria. They have deserted the 
Atchafalaya and Fort De Russey on Red River, removing the 
guns, and gone up to Alexandria to make their stand. They are 
looking for reenf orcements from Kirby Smith, and if I had two, 
or even one, of your iron-clads, I would now be at Alexandi'ia 
to meet Banks, and could easily cut oflE at the mouth of Black 
River the fleet of Kirby Smith. Do send me one or two of the 
iron-clads for this service. It will only last a few days, and 
certainly you can not render a greater service to the country 
anywhere else. If you do not send me a force of at least two 
boats, I shaU be obliged to relinquish my blockade and go down 
the river, as my fuel will be nearly expended. I now keep the 
enemy from sending forces from Port Hudson to Taylor. "With 
one or two iron-clads I could capture Kirby Smith's whole fleet 
at the mouth of Black River. 

" I hear, through rebel sources, that our cavalry have made 
a raid on the Jackson Railroad and broken up considerable of it, 
and even penetrated to Jackson. No doubt the enemy has sent 
every man that can be spared to Johnston, in anticipation of the 
battle with Rosecrans, and I do not believe there are 20,000 left 
in Yicksbm-g, or over 10,000 in Port Hudson. Now is the 
time for attack. Do send the gunboats. 

" Yery truly yours, 
" D. G. Farragtjt. 

" To Acting Rear-Admiral D. D. Poetee, 

" Or the Commanding Officer at Grand Gulf. 

" I send this by Colonel Ellet, of the Switzerland, who is a 
very efficient and active officer, ready and willing to do anything 
in his power. He will return with your answer to me, and 
when I go down the river I shall send him up to you, as he 
prefers that to going down to New Orleans." 



362 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

On the evening of May 1st, while the Hartford was lying 
at the month of Eed River, the lookout reported a steamer 
coming down that stream. Immediately the rattle was sprung ; 
the men were soon at their quarters, and fifteen guns were 
trained on the stranger, only waiting the Admiral's command 
to fire. She proved to be the United States gunboat Arizona, 
the first vessel through from Brashear City via the Atchafalaya. 
"When she gave her night signal, three hearty cheers went up 
from the crew, for it announced letters from home and a new 
route to New Orleans. 

On the 4th of May a portion of Porter's fleet made its ap- 
pearance and steamed by into Red River. It consisted of the 
Benton (flagship), Pittsburg, Lafayette, ram Sterling Price, and 
tug-boat Ivy. 

Farragut now felt that his services were no longer needed 
in this vicinity, and he determined to go below and push the 
siege of Port Hudson. The Government seemed satisfied with 
his efforts, and acknowledged in the most flattering terms the 
service rendered since the passage of Port Hudson, but had 
come to the conclusion that the heavy-draught ships were not 
adapted for the up-river work. Farragut still had faith in the 
broadsides of his sloops and their ramming power, where he 
had room to use them advantageously, but the current and shoals 
of the Mississippi had formed a more dangerous obstacle to 
success than the fire of the enemy's guns. Still he was well 
satisfied with liis work, and remarked in regard to a Southern 
newspaper criticism : 

" Whether my getting by Port Hudson was of consequence 
or not, if Pollard's stomach was as tightly pinched for food as 
theirs at Port Hudson and Yicksburg have been since I shut up 
Red River, he would know how to value a good dinner and a 
little peace." 

Admiral Porter having arrived, Farragut determined to 
return to New Orleans, to look after the affairs of his squadron 
and conduct the naval operations in the siege of Port Hudson. 
He says in his dispatch to the Secretary of the Navy : 



THE SIEGE OF POET HUDSON. 363 

"Feeling now that my instructions of October 2, 1862, have 
been carried out by my maintenance of the blockade of Red 
River until the arrival of Admiral Porter, and learning, both 
from the Department and the newspapers, that the iron-clads 
are on their way down to me, I shall return to New Orleans as 
soon as practicable, leaving the Hartford and Albatross at the 
mouth of Red River to await the result of the combined attack 
upon Alexandria, but with orders to Commodore Palmer to 
avail himself of the first good opportunity to run down past 
Port Hudson." 

The following are the instructions to Commodore Palmer, 
referred to above : 

"Flag-Ship Haetford, 
^^ Mouth of Red River ^ May 6, 1863. 

" Commodore : My presence being required at New Orleans, 
I shall leave you in command of the blockade of the Mississippi 
between Red River and Port Hudson, until the attack shall 
have been made against Alexandria by Acting Rear-Admiral 
Porter and General Banks. 

" It is reported that the presence of our vessels in this vicin- 
ity has straitened the trooj)s at Port Hudson, as well as the 
inhabitants. You will therefore rather tighten than relax the 
blockade, for which purpose I will leave you the Arizona and 
Estrella, that you may keep one of the three boats between 
Bayou Sara and Port Hudson, making a trip in exchange every 
few days, to report to you. 

"So soon as Alexandria is reduced or abandoned by our 
forces, Porter will have at his command ample force to assume 
the control of the river to Port Hudson, and you will be at 
liberty to use your judgment in running the batteries (if they 
are not by that time abandoned by the enemy) and rejoining 
me at New Orleans. 

" Should you need coal in the mean time, I think Admiral 
Porter will have it sent for, as he will require some for his own 
fleet. 

" Captain Alden has been directed to render you all the as- 



364 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

sistance in liis power in your descent. I shall communicate 
with you from New Orleans, and see that your wants are cared 
for. When the charge of the river is assumed by Admiral 
Porter, as is expected by the Department, you will send the 
Estrella and Arizona down the Atchaf alaya ; the former to the 
mouth of Cote Blanche, and the latter to Berwick's Bay, di- 
recting Lieutenant-Commander Cook to report to me at New 
Orleans. 

" Wishing you a short and pleasant time, I remain, 

" Yours respectfully, 

" D. G. Fakkagut. 
*' To Commodore James S. Palmer, 

"Commanding Flag-Ship Hartford." 

The sympathetic cheers which went up from the crew, as 
they manned the rigging when Farragut left the Hartford to 
return to New Orleans, were ever remembered by him with 
pleasure. There was much of sentiment in his composition, 
and he could appreciate such a demonstration when given with 
unmistakable sincerity. His association with Commodore 
Palmer, too, had been extremely agreeable, and he had especi- 
ally learned to respect that officer from one incident. At the 
passage of Yicksburg, Palmer commanded the Iroquois, the 
leading ship. The flag-ship stopped her engines for a few min- 
utes, to allow the vessels in rear to close up. Perceiving this 
circumstance, and imagining that some accident had befallen the 
Admiral, Palmer dropped his vessel down to the Hartford. The 
Admiral misunderstood the movement at first, and seizing a 
trumpet from the officer of the deck he hailed, saying, " Cap- 
tain Palmer, what do you mean by disobeying my orders ? " 
Palmer replied, " I thought. Admiral, you had more fire than 
you could stand, and I came down to draw part of it off." It 
was gallantly done, and Farragut never forgot it. Under a re- 
serve of manner and dignified bearing which almost amounted 
to pomposity. Palmer showed a warm and generous nature. 
He was brave and cool under fire, and always ready to obey his 
chief's commands. The writer has seen him going into battle 



THE SIEGE OF PORT HUDSON. 365 

dressed with scrupulous neatness, perfonning the last part of 
his toilet in buttoning his kid gloves as though he were about 
to enter a ball-room. He died at St. Thomas, West Indies, 
Dec. T, 1867, while in command of the South Atlantic squadron. 
On reaching Kew Orleans, Farragut wrote : 

"■May nth. 

" Here I am once more in this city, in General Banks's house, 
writing to you. I arrived this morning from the mouth of Red 
River, by one of the dozen winding streams that cut through 
this country. I left Captain Palmer to look out for the ship 
while I came down to see what I could do to make the path 
easy for his return down the river. 

" Our troops have taken Alexandria — ^that is, Porter did it 
with his iron-clads. 

" The Government thinks the wooden ships have done their 
duty. I came to try and ease the old Hartford down by the 
forts, or leave her there until they are taken. Everything is 
going on well just now. If we could only whip Johnston, and 
take Charleston, then we should get along toward the close of 
this civil war. 

" You say you think I am getting too ambitious. Tou do 
me great injustice in supposing that I am detained here a day 
by ambition. I am much more apt to lose than win honors by 
what I do. My country has a right to my services as long as 
she wants them. She has done everything for me, and I must 
do all for her. Gladly would I go home ; but you see how it 
is. Dupont is being blamed. It may be my turn to-morrow. 
All I can do is, my best. The worst of it is, that people begin 
to think I fight for pleasure. God knows there is not a more 
humble poor creature in the community than myself. ... I 
shall go to church to-morrow, and try to return suitable thanks 
for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon me. 

«D. G. F." 

"May 12tTi. 
" Thank God, I am very well to-day, but with an immense 
load of business on my shoulders. I am case-hardened, how- 



366 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

ever, and do not mind work, as you know, so long as we pros- 
per ; that is aU. We seem to have the run upon them now. I 
hear that Hooker is having a severe fight. 

" The raider, Colonel Grierson (from Memphis to Baton 
Rouge) is here. We dined together at the St. Charles. He 
seems a modest man, and looks like a fellow of great energy. 
I hope Port Hudson will soon fall, and that will finish my 
river work. As soon as Mobile and Galveston are away, I shall 
apply to be relieved. But it is diflicult to get off, as long as the 
country demands my services. 

" They make a great deal of me here ; I don't know why, 
unless it is because I did not get my head knocked off. . . . 

" I trust in God that Hooker has won a battle, though the 
rebels make it out a defeat, with a heavy loss on both sides. 
But fighting is the only way to end the war. !Now we are look- 
ing for Dupont's attack on Charleston, with intense anxiety. 
Things are still looking well in this quarter. We hope for the 
success of Grant at Yicksburg. If any one of the great battles 
is decisive in our favor, all will go well, and I shall hope for a 
shorter war than I did. I am growing old fast, however, and 
want rest. 

"D. G. F." 

Shortly after this visit to Kew Orleans, the Admiral moved 
up to the vicinity of Port Hudson, his flag being temporarily 
hoisted on the Monongahela (Captain Melancton Smith). The 
investment by the army had begun with vigor. The ships 
bombarded every night, and sometimes during the day, or 
whenever it was possible to do so without injury to our own 
troops closing in on the ill-fated place. A four-gun battery 
of nine-inch Dahlgrens, manned by sailors from the Pich- 
mond and Essex, and commanded by Lieutenant-Commander 
Teriy and Ensigns Swan and Shepard, did some effective ser- 
vice on shore. Farragut watched with great interest the prog- 
ress of the siege. Among his papers we find the draft of 
a letter to General Banks, written after the first unsuccessful 
assault : 



THE SIEGE OF PORT HUDSON. " Z67 

' ' Flag-Ship Monongahela , 
" May 28, 1863. 

" Dear General : I deeply sympathize with you in your 
losses and failure to cany the works of the enemy. I know 
nothing of the arrangement of their works, and consequently 
have no judgment in the case. When I saw General "Weitzel 
open his battery on the extreme right, I thought we were all 
right ; but, when they silenced his fire, I feared that all was lost, 
and that he had retired. In their exultation they opened upon 
us. We returned the fire, and continued to shell them until 
their guns were silenced. I now feel anxious to know what will 
be your next view of the case, in order to cooperate. I sent 
General [T. W.] Sherman and some of the wounded down to 
!N^ew Orleans in our tug, and have this morning sent two medi- 
cal officers down to Springfield Landing, to assist your surgeons. 
I only desire to know in what other way I can help you. When 
yon have made up your mind as to your next move, please let 
me know, that I may govern myself accordingly. 

" Sincerely yours, 

" D. G. Farragtjt." 

"At Port Hudson, 
" May 29, 1863. 

" Dear Sir : We mean to harass the enemy night and day, 
and to give him no rest. I desire to estabKsh a system of signals 
with you by night and day, by which we can make instant com- 
munication. This can be done by means of rockets at night, 
and with a signal flag, which I think we can accomplish, in the 
daytime. I shall want you to shell the town at night inces- 
santly. I think if you can get the range of the centre of the 
town, and then drop the shells on the right and left, front and 
rear, for the space of half a mile from the town, it will harass 
the enemy without injury to us. A trial experiment can be 
made, so that you can have immediate notice of its effect, and 
may extend your operations in the direction where it may be 
possible without injury. 

"An examination of the works, when we reached them, 



368 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

showed them to be very formidable, and tlie country in wbicli 
they are placed is a perfect labyrinth. One is unable to 
comprehend the lay of the land even after having traveled 
through it. Ravines, woods, and obstructions of every sort 
disconcert the movement of troops, and break up the lines. . 
A portion of these difficulties will disappear as we get ac- 
quainted with the ground, but at first encounter they are very 
formidable. 

" I want you to send me immediately five hundred hand- 
grenades. Let them be accompanied, if you please, by an offi- 
cer who can explain to our men their proper management. I 
desire, if possible, that some means may be devised by which 
the steamers may be brought out of Thompson's Creek. If you 
can suggest anything upon that subject, I should like it. I did 
not receive your letter of the 20th, until last night, but most 
of the suggestions contained therein had been complied with. 
The telegraphic operator has been instructed to open communi- 
cation with you at Springfield Landing. 

" I have the honor to be, etc., 

" N. P. Banks, 
" Major-General Commanding. 

" Admiral Faeeagxtt." 

" Dear General : Tour two dispatches have this moment 
been received. I am delighted to find that you maintain so 
good a position. I thought Weitzel had been driven back, by 
the heavy bombardment in the night. I can not but think that 
one of the best points of assault is on the water front. Captain 

came down here opposite the Essex day before yesterday, 

and knows the way. It is not over a mile and a quarter to the 
citadel. If you would come down abreast of the Essex, and 
march up under the support of the fleet, it seems to me that we 
could put you within the lines. The only thing I don't know 
is the character of the land along shore. Your engineer officer 
might look at it. We have no hand-grenades ; they are not in 
use in the Navy, though we esteemed them highly during the 
war of 1812. 



THE SIEGE OF PORT HUDSON. 369 

" If you can furnish pilots and engineers, the steamers can 
come out of Thompson's Creek at any time, and run up to the 
Hartford. As to the enemy's forces, we had a deserter yester- 
day, who said they had about 4,000 men. They must work 
them very severely night and day, but they work on a small 
radius. You must overcome them by perseverance. I will shell 
them, but I do not believe it does much good, as they are not 
where we can reach them ; they fall back to the inner line at 
night. However, we will fire every time they show themselves. 
They have been lavish with ammunition yesterday and to-day, 
and yet we heard that they had not much on hand ! Wishing 
you success, 

" I remain, yours truly, 

«D. G. Faeeagtit." 

Farragut wrote to Commodore Morris, commanding at New 
Orleans : 

" U. S. S. MONONGAHELA, 

" Port Hudson, June 1, 1863. 
" Dear Commodoee : Don't allow the tug to remain at New 
Orleans any longer than is necessary to get in her stores, and if 
she breaks down send up the Eehance. I must have a vessel 
here all the time until this place is taken. . . . 

" Let me know if there is any more news from Mobile or 
Pensacola that requires my attention. Send my mails up as 
they arrive, after you open and see if there is anything that re- 
quires your immediate action. 

" Get the CHfton into the Sound as soon as possible, for I 
have no doubt Buchanan has some idea of going through Grant's 
Pass. That was what he wanted the flag of truce for — to find 
out the depth of water beyond the Pass inside. I do not be- 
lieve he can get his gunboats through. . . . 

" We are well supplied now with munitions of war. 
" Yours truly, 

"D. G. Faeeagut, 

" Eear-Admiral." 



370 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

He wi'ote to the Secretary of the Navy : 

" FLAa-SniP MONONGAHELA, 

"■June 15, 1863. 

" Sm : Since my last communication we have had an assault 
on Port Hudson by the Army, but in consequence of some ac- 
cident it was not successful, and we stand very much as we did 
before. 

" General Banks appears to think his position somewhat im- 
proved, but I do not understand how, except that it is a little 
nearer, 

" "We are expending an enormous amount of shot and shell, 
as the firing is kept up constantly, I shall have to economize, 
as we are reduced to our last five hundred moiiar shells, 

"In the Navy battery, we have four nine-inch guns, in 
charge of Lieutenant-Commander Terry, of the Kichmond, 
with Acting-Ensigns Swan and Shepard. 

"I know nothing of the details of the fight on Sunday 
morning ; there was a terrible cannonade for an hour or two, and 
I believe a charge was made, which from some accidental cause 
was unsuccessful. The men are reported to be in good spirits. 

" We take a number of deserters every day, and they repre- 
sent their food limited to three ears of corn a day, with half a 
pound of fresh beef. They have about two hundred and fifty head 
of cattle, many of them being killed daily by the shot and shell. 

" Their ammunition particularly is also short ; but as they 
husband their resources, only firing when we assault them, and 
then using fragments of our shell and pieces of railroad iron, 
they are hkely to hold out for some time. Still, I hope they 
will be compelled to surrender before they can get reenforce- 
ments; although they are said to have a strong force on the 
west bank of the Mississippi. We have the Hartford and four 
gunboats to keep them from crossing. 
" Yery respectfully, 

" D. G. FAREAOrT, 

" Rear- Admiral. 
" Hon. Gideon Welles, 

" Secretary of the Navy." 



THE SIEGE OF PORT HUDSON". Z71 

" About the middle of June, while Farragut was watching 
the progress of the siege, the monotony was varied by a demon- 
stration on the part of the Confederate forces on the west bank 
of the Mississippi, under their energetic leader, General Dick 
Taylor. Taylor readily gained information of the condition and 
numbers of the garrisons in the Teche Country, and he was also 
aware of the fact that the military force at New Orleans was 
quite small ; so he determined to take advantage of the situa- 
tion and make a bold attempt to cut off Banks's hue of commu- 
nication with New Orleans and create a diversion in favor of 
General Gardner, who was besieged in Port Hudson. His first 
objective point was Brashear City, which he captured, together 
with the garrison (consisting mainly of convalescent soldiers), 
and an immense amount of supplies. But in making this move- 
ment, a portion of his force, under Colonel Major, moving rap- 
idly down the river, attacked Plaquemine, capturing some pris- 
oners and destroying two transports that were aground. 

Farragut, on receipt of this intelligence, saw the importance 
of prompt action, and hastened to thwart the enemy in his de- 
signs. Leaving Captain Macomb in charge of affairs at Port 
Hudson, he hastened down to Plaquemine in the Tennessee, 
but on his arrival at Baton Pouge was much gratified to find 
that Lieutenant-Commander "Weaver, in the Winona, had gone 
to the rescue and shelled the rebels out of the town, and had 
followed them down to Donaldsonville, which place he reached 
in advance of them. By dark the Admiral was there himself, 
where he found the Kineo, Lieutenant-Commander John "Wat- 
ters, sent up from New Orleans by Commodore Morris. The 
enemy withdrew, and continued on to Brashear City, but boldly 
intimated that they would return and attack the place. Wool- 
sey, in the Princess Poyal, was placed in command at Donald- 
sonville, while Weaver was ordered to cruise up and down, and 
shell the rebels wherever they showed themselves on the river 
bank. Weaver did good service in this way. The little fort at 
Donaldsonville consisted of an earthwork ditched on three sides, 
the fourth being on the river front. A few guns were mounted 
on this work, but the garrison, which consisted of two hundred 



372 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

and twenty-five men, mostly invalids, knew nothing of the 
service of artillery. In this emergency Farragut ordered "Wat- 
ters, who volunteered for the duty, to assist the officer in com- 
mand in drilling his men ; so that by the time the enemy ap- 
peared the fort was in a passable condition for defense. 

Having made this disposition of his gunboats, Farragut pro- 
ceeded down the river, as the most exaggerated rumors had 
reached him of Taylor's advance on New Orleans. The enemy 
certainly made no secret of their movements. On the ITth they 
reached the Lafourche crossing, and were twice repulsed with 
heavy loss ; but their attack on Brashear City on the 23d was a 
complete surprise ; the naval force, consisting of a small tug 
mounting two 12-pound howitzers, was compelled to retire, 
her commander claiming that he could not fire without injuring 
the Union troops. Finally on the 2Yth the Confederates ap- 
peared at Donaldsonville, the rebel General Green sending word 
that he intended to attack, and notifying the women and chil- 
dren to leave. 

At 1 : 20 A. M. on the 28tli the attack was made. A storming 
party succeeded in entering the fort ; but the Princess Royal 
opened a flanking fire above and below, hurling destruction into 
the enemy's ranks and driving back the supporting party. Of 
the two hundred who led the charge, one hundred and twenty 
were captured inside the ditch of the fort. By 4:30 the enemy 
had retreated ; and as daylight appeared, and the smoke cleared 
away, the flag was seen to be flying, which brought forth three 
hearty cheers. The Winona reached Donaldsonville in time to 
take part in the defense of the place, and was closely followed 
by the Kineo, which the Admiral had sent up at the first inti- 
mation of hostilities. In this little engagement the gunboats 
played a conspicuous part, and there is no doubt that but for the 
Admiral's promptness, and the pluck and judgment of Woolsey, 
ably seconded by Weaver and Watters, Donaldsonville would 
have been captured and the enemy would have succeeded in 
their designs. 

Farragut gained some information of the movements and 
position of Dick Taylor's forces, through the singular adventure 



COERESPONDENOE WITH BANKS AND PORTER. 373 

of one of the sailors of a gunboat. It appears that this man 
had wandered off a short distance from the town of Donaldson- 
ville, entirely unarmed, when he "unexpectedly ran against a 
Texan soldier who was sitting across a log by the roadside, 
weary and footsore. Jack saw the soldier's musket, and thought 
himself in a tight, place, but, assuming an indifferent tone, he 
entered into conversation with the stranger, and learned that he 
had straggled off from a column of Confederate troops. The 
Texan must have been a most unsuspicious mortal, or the sailor 
egregiously deceived him, for the man started along with him 
in the direction of the town. The sailor, at an unguarded 
moment, seized the rebel's musket, and ordered him to surren- 
der. He then marched his prisoner down to the levee, made 
signal for a boat, and took the man on board. The Texan was 
very much mortified at the fact of having been captured by an 
unarmed man. 

Farragut now notified Banks of the affair at DonaldsonvUle : 

*' New Oeleans, June 22, 1863. 

" General : I arrived at Plaquemine just in time to find 
that the gunboat "Winona had shelled the enemy out of the 
town, and that the town had suffered also. The enemy burnt 
two steamers, the Sykes and Anglo-American, the former being 
aground, and the latter trying to get her off. 

" I learn that there were three thousand men in the raid, all 
Texans, and that they were going to Donaldsonville to get 
stores, etc. They have no baggage wagons, or only a few. They 
live on the country from day to day, and have only ammunition 
for a show fight (what they have in their boxes and caissons). 
They have fifteen six- and eight-pounders, and one twenty- 
pounder Parrott. They say that they heard Taylor had fifteen 
hundred men below, who, I suppose, are now attacking the La- 
fourche crossing, where our people have repulsed them twice. 
General Emory has sent reenforcements. 

" I think. General, it is bad policy to have guns on the right 
bank of the river when there are not men enough to defend 
them. The enemy wiU certainly, if defeated at Brashear City 



374 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

(whicli tliej announce as their next place of attack, to procure 
ammunition and provisions), make an effort to obtain those sup- 
plies from Fort Banks, or the Fort at Donaldsonville. If they 
once get either of those works, they may capture transports and 
do us much damage before we find it out and dislodge them. I 
have at Brashear City the only gunboat that can enter the bay, 
except those above Port Hudson. 

" These people may do us some damage, but if Port Hud- 
son falls within a week, with five thousand men, you can cap- 
ture every one by landing above and marching down upon them. 

" I will be up in a day or two, but I know that Captain 
Alden will do all that I could do if I was there. 

" I concentrated three or four gunboats at Donaldsonville in 
a few hours, which induced the rebels to give it up. 

" Wishing you every success, 

" Respectfully and truly yours, 

" D. G. Fakeagtjt, 

" Eear- Admiral. 
"Major-General N. P. Banks, 

"Commanding Department of the Gulf." 

General Banks sent the following acknowledgment of the 
part played by the Navy in the affair at Donaldsonville : 

" Before Poet Hudson, July 5, 1863. 

" Dear Sik : The result at Donaldsonville was very gratify- 
ing, and I feel greatly indebted to the ofiicers of the Navy for 
the assistance they gave, and the distinguished part they played 
in this most creditable affair. 

" General Emory writes me (July 3d) that the rebels have 
fired upon our transports from a point some few miles below 
Donaldsonville. They have disabled the Iberville, which was 
towed back to ISTew Orleans, and put some shots through one or 
two other vessels. I desire you, if possible, to patrol the river 
with the gunboats, so that our communication may be kept open 
for a few days longer ; this is very important. General Emory 
is much alarmed for the safety of New Orleans, but I can not 
think the city in any danger. It is impossible for me just now 



COREESPONDENOE WITH BANKS AND PORTER. S76 

to send liim the reenforcements lie requires. But, althougli their 
movements will occasion some inconvenience, I am quite satis- 
fied that there is no imminent peril. 

" We have no news from Grant. Affairs in the north are 
becoming interesting. We are progressing favorably, but not 
as rapidly as I could wish, with our movements here. Three or 
four days more will bring our affairs to a successful issue. I 
shall be dehghted to see you again. 

" I have the honor to be, etc. 

" N. P. Banks, 

" Major-General Commanding." 
*' Rear- Admiral D. G. Faeeagut. 

To Commodore Bell, blockading off the Texas coast, Far- 
ragut wrote : 

"Flag-Ship Pensacola, 
"New Oeleans, Jmie S8, 1863. 

" CoMMODOKE : We are beginning to understand your letter 
about Magruder sending all the troops out of Texas. They are 
now at the end of the railroad, and have captured Brashear 
City. A part of the force came on the Mississippi opposite 
Port Hudson. They are now marching upon this city, and we 
are expecting to have a lively time. I followed one party down 
the river, and prevented them from attacking Donaldsonville, 
so they continued on down to meet Mouton at Brashear. 

" I did think of sending for you, but I think we have enough 
here at present. I have the Portsmouth, Pensacola, Mononga- 
hela, and smaller vessels. I have the Tennessee for my vidette 
boat, and will try to make myself a little comfortable on board 
of her. The idea is, that the moment the rebel army arrives 
opposite New Orleans, their friends in the city will rise and 
seize arms and public stores in the city, and go ahead. I am 
disposing everything now for the attack. The whole object of 
the enemy is to divert Banks from Port Hudson. 

" The siege goes on slowly, but I trust surely. I would like 
to go back there, but l!^ew Orleans would be game, and I must 
go with it. 

" The New London or some other boat will be sent you in a 



376 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

few days, so that you will be able to send tbe worst of your 
gunboats to" this place or Pensacola for repairs. 
" Wishing you a pleasant time, 

" I remain your friend, 

" D. G. Faekagut, 

" Rear- Admiral. 
" To Commodore Bell, 

" Commanding on Coast of Texas." 

To Commodore Morris, at New Orleans, he wrote from Port 
Hudson : 

" Flag-Ship Tennessee, 
*' Below Pobt Hudson, July 4, 1863. 

" CoMMODOEE : We are greatly in want of 100-lb. Parrott 
shell. Please send them up, the moment any arrive. I see no 
way of estimating the time it will take to reduce this place. 
They say they are eating their mules ; but God knows if it is 
true. The deserters also say they have only twenty-five hun- 
dred men for duty. Our men are apparently on top of the 
works. Why they do not go in, I can not tell. Our vessels can 
do no good, as they can not fire, for fear of injuring our own 
troops. Keep a good lookout on the Texans at or below 
Donaldsonville. I have not yet seen General Banks. He sent 
an escort for me, but I was too unwell and had too much to 
attend to in getting Caldwell off, etc. But I will go up to- 
morrow if he sends a horse for me. I hope you celebrated the 
day by dressing the ships and firing a national salute. 

" Yery truly yours, 

" D. G. Farkagut, 

" Eear-Admii'al. 
" To Commodore H. Moeeis, 

" Commanding at New Orleans." 

To General Emory, at New Orleans, Farragut wrote : 

"Flag- Ship Tennessee, 
" Poet Hudson, July 5, 1863. 

" Dear General : Your note is duly received. I understand 
the play of the rebels, and think we can foil them. I have 



CORRESPONDENCE WITH BANKS AND PORTER. 377 

ample force on the river to keep them in check. They are on 
the west bank from Donaldsonville down about twelve or fifteen 
miles, and a picket of two or three hundred extending down as 
far as Bonnet Carre. Watters shelled them the other night as 
I came up. I have two boats at Donaldsonville, and one below 
to convey the transports. 

" The Quartermaster-General ought to be very particular in 
the captains of his steamers, as a rebel will run in and surren- 
der if he has half a chance. . . . 

" I had a long letter from Porter to-day by the Arizona. 
He says it is reported that Yicksburg will surrender to-day. 
They had pride in not surrendering until after the Fom-th of 
July. 

"I shall go to see General Banks to-morrow. You have 
plenty of force at New Orleans — two sloops of war and three or 
four other vessels there whose guns are as good as ever, and 
even if their steam is not available they can shell the city. 

" It is most important to have the gunboats watch the rebels 
on the river. 

" Porter writes me that they are playing the same game with 
him in trying to cut off supplies. They are two or three thou- 
sand strong up there. 

" Yery respectfully, 

" D. G. Fakbagut, 

" Kear-Admu-al. 
" Brigadier-General Emory, 

" CommandiDg U. S. forces, New Orleans." 

Commodore Palmer had the pleasure of announcing the fall 
of Yicksburg, in the following letter : 

"Flag- Ship Haktfobd, 
^'July 7, 1863. 

" My Deae Admiral : I sent you word this morning of the 
fall of Yicksburg. They paroled everybody — 25,000 men — and 
then Grant's army started after Johnston, and were close upon 
him. 

" But there is bad news from the North. The rebels have 



378 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

been everywhere successful. Tliej have Harrisburg and Car- 
lisle, and have certainly, ere this, Baltimore and Philadelphia. 
The Government have dismissed Hooker, and placed Meade in 
command. Poor Foote is dead, and Dahlgren has Dupont's 
fleet. Porter sent me down a coal-barge, which has sunk w^here 
she grounded, at Point Coupee, in five feet of water. I shall 
send up and have it discharged by contrabands. But another 
will come down either to-day or to-morrow by the Switzerland. 

" Porter did not write, but sent off the Price with the news. 

" I send the steward over with your things, and he will take 
this letter. 

" Ever yours truly, 

"J. S. Palmee." 

But the satisfaction with which Parragut received this in- 
telligence was saddened by one occurrence. At the first intima- 
tion of the affair at Plaquemine, he had dispatched a tug to 
New Orleans to Captain Jenkins to " come up if he could 
crawl," take command of the Pichmond, and conduct affairs at 
Port Hudson, while he proceeded down to the new point of 
danger. Jenkins, although sick, with his usual energy started 
at midnight in the Monongahela, accompanied by a transport 
loaded with much-needed supplies of ammunition and provi- 
sions for the army. Arriving at College Point, a few miles 
below Donaldsonville, they found that the enemy, with renewed 
energy after the affair at Donaldsonville, had planted batteries 
on the river bank. Twelve guns were mounted, with embra- 
sures cut in the levee ; and, as the Monongahela approached, 
they opened on her with artillery and musketry. This fire was 
promptly returned, and the rebels driven from their guns ; but, 
sad to say, Abner Pead, commanding the Monongahela, was 
mortally wounded, and shortly after died at Baton Pouge. This 
officer had made quite a reputation on Lake Pontchartrain while 
commanding the 'New London, by his vigilance in overhauling 
and capturing smugglers and blockade-runners. Farragut re- 
marked that " he was a loss to both our Navy and the country, 
and that no service could boast a better officer." 



A THREATENED UPRISING. 379 

Captain Jenkins was slightly wounded by the same shot that 
gave the death-blow to poor Eead. 

The Monongahela and her charge reached Baton Rouge safe- 
ly, having accomplished the object of their mission. The en- 
gagement at College Point had not been prolonged, because the 
safety of supplies was of the utmost importance. 

Captain Jenkins had a most singular experience in l!^ew 
Orleans, in connection with the rumored raid on that city. He 
had gone down with Farragut on his first visit, and while there 
was taken sick with fever, which compelled him to remain be- 
hind at the house of Dr. Mercer, when Farragut returned to 
Port Hudson, In this condition he was called upon by General 
Emory, who informed him that an attack was threatened upon 
the city by the rebels from Brashear City, and that the report 
was, that their friends in 'New Orleans would cooperate with 
them in a general uprising ; that it was part of their programme 
also to seize all prominent officials and hold them as hostages 
to prevent the ships from firing into the city. Jenkins told 
the General that he would not budge, and that " if the rebels 
succeeded in getting possession, to tell Morris not to hesitate 
about firing into any house where he might be incarcerated, 
but to go ahead and knock the town down." It was short- 
ly after this that he received the summons from Farragut to 
take command of the Pichmond and the operations before 
Port Hudson (in the place of Captain Alden, who had gone 
North). 

Jenkins understood the urgency of the request, and started 
up in the Monongahela. The enemy had faithful allies in N"ew 
Orleans who kept them well informed of everything going on, 
and in this instance the ship was scarcely under way before flash 
lights along the river bank assured Jenkins that they knew 
what he was doing. He had taken advantage of the new moon 
to facilitate his movements, but, as he had an intimation that the 
enemy had placed batteries at College Point, the vessel's speed 
was regulated to reach that place after daylight, where the en- 
gagement already described took place. 

Farragut was at Baton Rouge when he received the intelli- 
25 



380 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

gence of tlie attack on the Monongaliela and transj)orts, and he 
says in his report to the Department : 

"I proceeded on my way down to Donaldsonville, deter- 
mined to convoy the next tow, in order to ascertain the true state 
of affairs, which were greatly magnified, on the river banks. At 
6:30 p. M. on the 9th I started down the river in the Mononga- 
hela, followed by the Essex, which vessel I had in the mean 
time sent up for, and the Kineo and Tennessee. I soon drew 
their fire on the Monongahela, but she was more successful than 
the night before, and very shortly silenced their guns ; but they 
continued their musketry fire for almost two hours. The bat- 
teries were four in number, and opened on us in succession. I 
am glad to report that we lost no one injured on either of the 
gunboats, but the orderly sergeant of the Tennessee was mor- 
tally wounded, and died during the • night. The tow passed 
safely down without injury, and we anchored about five miles 
below the batteries." 

The sun-ender of Yicksburg, on the 4th of July, was fol- 
lowed in a few days by the capitulation of Port Hudson, after 
a most gallant defense by the Confederate General Gardner. 
On this subject Captain Jenkins, commanding the steamer Rich- 
mond, wrote : 

"Below Pokt Htjdson, 
''July 9, 1863. 

" Admiral : At nine o'clock and fifty minutes a. m. yester- 
day, I received the dispatch from General Banks, dated at 5 
A. M. of that day, which I sent to you by the Essex, informing 
you that commissioners had been appointed to meet at 9 a. m. of 
that day, to agree upon terms for the surrender of Port Hudson. 

" You will not fail to observe that there was no invitation 
given to the Navy to participate, either in the preliminary ar- 
rangements for the surrender of the place, or in its formal occu- 
pation. Had the dispatch of General Banks been received in 
time to have exchanged communications with him on the sub- 
ject, I should have felt it my duty to insist that one of the com- 



CORRESPONDENCE WITH BANKS AND PORTER. 381 

missioners to make arrangements for the surrender of tlie place 
should be a Navy officer of rank to represent you and your 
fleet. . . . 

" Yery respectfully, 

" Thoknton a. Jenkins. 
" Rear- Admiral D. G. Faebagut." 

The Mississippi was now clear of any formidable works — a 
subject of congratulation to Farragut, for he felt that he had 
contributed all in his power toward this result. From N^ew 
Orleans, on the 15th of July, he wrote : 

" I continue my health, my vessels are all repairing, and I 
am trying everybody by court-mai*tial, to clear the calendar. I 
wrote to Porter to-day, to turn over the river to him above Kew 
Orleans, and as soon as the courts are over I shall sail to look 
after the blockade, and then take a run home, that is, if nothing 
occurs in the shape of a reverse. Everything seems to be going 
well. Meade appears to be the man, after all. He has ma- 
noeuvred a large force, and I hope has saved the Union. We 
have done our part of the work assigned to us, and all has 
worked well. My last dash past Port Hudson was the best 
thing I ever did, except taking New Orleans. It assisted ma- 
terially in the fall of Vicksburg and Port Hudson. I think we 
have them all right now." 

At this time Admiral Porter wrote to him : 

"Flag-Ship Black Hawk, 
"Off Vioksbueg, July 16, 1863. 

" Dear Admiral : Tours of July 9tli has been received, by 
the Genesee. I should have been down to see you before this, 
but you know what it is, by this time. Notwithstanding Yicks- 
burg is taken, you will be surprised to hear that I have not one 
iron-clad to spare. I have four sunken ones, within stone's- 
throw of me : the Indianola, Cincinnati, Cairo, and De Kalb. 
The latter was blown up f om' days ago, by a torpedo, and I fear 



382 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

is a total wreck. When Sherman brought Johnston to a stand 
at Jackson, and surrounded him in the city, there was but one 
thing for Johnston to do, and that was, to cut his way out and 
escape by the way of Yazoo City and the transports he had 
assembled there. He consequently had it strongly fortified, 
and the finest steamers on the river all ready there for the pur- 
pose of embarking. 

" General Grant and I started an expedition up there, and the 
De Kalb attacked the batteries, while the soldiers landed. The 
rebels fied, leaving everything in our hands. They set fire, un- 
fortunately, to four splendid steamers, and burned them up, and 
we only captured one, a semi-gunboat. While the De Kalb was 
moving up slowly, she ran on a torpedo, which blew her bow 
right out of her, and down she went ! JS'obody killed or 
drowned, thank Heaven ! We captured six heavy guns from 
the enemy, and lost thirteen by the sinking of the De Kalb — 
rather a losing business, but the loss is only temporary. We 
are getting the guns out, and may save the hull. The Lafayette 
came up here with her keel burned in two, and her bottom 
burned half through. I am trying to fix her up ; she will do 
for a scare-crow, though they will be afraid to fire her heavy 
guns. The Tuscumbia has never been repaired since the Grand 
Gulf affair, where she got a pretty good hammering, and I have 
to keep her lying still at an exposed point. The Mound City 
has sprung a leak in her boilers, and can not make a fire. 

"So I only have the Carondelet, Choctaw, Benton, and 
Louisville, that can move. They are stationed at points where 
the rebels have heavy batteries, and the Choctaw and Pittsburg 
are stationed at the mouth of Red River. 

" These things I have now are nothing but the old rattle- 
traps Davis left here, and it is as much as the commanders can 
do to keep them afloat. I have to depend on the tin-clads to 
keep the river clear above us, and they have a hard time of it. 
Still, they whip the light batteries the rebels put up, have killed 
a good many men, and the rebels are gradually getting tired of 
it. They have never captured or materially hurt a transport 
yet, and they think it won't pay to be shot at for nothing. 



CORRESPONDENCE WITH BANKS AND PORTER. 383 

" I have sent an expedition up the E.ed River and the Ten- 
sas. If no accident happens to them, I will send them below as 
soon as thej return, and send off the Lafayette as soon as I get 
her keel repaired. I have two nice iron-clad 'turreted mon- 
sters' coming down. They started three months ago, and, 
after returning now and then to the machine-shop and contract- 
ors, have concluded to stay there for the rest of the season. 

" The Tennessee and Cumberland rivers have fifteen gun- 
boats to guard them, and until Rosecrans does something I can 
hope to use none of those vessels. 

" I have heard nothing yet from the Department about ex- 
tending my command, but am waiting here for orders. When 
I get them, I will come down at once. I do not know that I 
can do anything unless you leave me all the small vessels until 
I can get others. They should send out here a goodly number 
from the North. I expect, though, they have their hands full 
looking out for Semmes. I hope General Banks will remove 
all the guns from Port Hudson, or the rebels will get in there 
again. If Johnston escapes from Sherman and gets down that 
way, he will try it. The plan of the enemy is, to have flying 
batteries all along the river, and annoy us in that way. They 
have already planted one twenty-five miles below here, one at 
Rodney, and are going to put another at Ellis's Cliffs. We shall 
be kept busy chasing them up, 

" As soon as I can get hold of Ellet's brigade, which is now 
up the river, I will send it down. It consists of a small force, 
but can land, and perhaps capture the guns. 

" Hoping to see you soon, and congratulating you on the 
capture of Port Hudson, 

" I remain, respectfully and truly yours, 
" David D. Porter, 

" Acting Rear- Admiral. 
"To Rear- Admiral David G. Fareagut." 

About the 1st of August, Admiral Porter arrived at I^ew 
Orleans in his flag-ship, the Black Hawk, and Farragut returned 
to his old love, the Hartford, and sailed for New York. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

ARRIVAL AT NEW YORK — A WELCOME BY PROMINENT CITIZENS — 
RESOLUTIONS OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 

On liis arrival in IS'ew York, Farragut reported to the Navy 
Department, in the following letter : 

"Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
''New Yorh, August 16, 1863. 

" Sir : I have the honor to report my return North in the 
flag-ship Hartford, in accordance with your letter of June 
15th. 

" On the 1st instant. Acting Rear-Admiral D. D. Porter ar- 
rived at New Orleans in his flag-ship Black Hawk, accompa- 
nied by the gunboat Tuscumbia. He announced to me that 
the Mississippi River was undisturbed by the enemy from Cairo 
to New Orleans, whereupon I wrote him a congratulatory note 
upon my being able to do in person what I had before done by 
letter, viz. : turn over to him the command of the Mississippi 
River from New Orleans to its head waters. 

" I then informed him that I should depart for the North on 
a short leave. My arrangements having been previously made, 
I left New Orleans at 6 : 30 p. m. that day (1st instant), and ar- 
rived here to-day, making the passage in nine days and no 
hours. 

" This ship, the Richmond, and the Brooklyn, all require 
extensive repairs before they are fit for winter service in the 
Gulf. This vessel requires, however, less repair than either of 
the others, as she is uninjured below the water-line, except, per- 



A WELCOME BY PROMINENT CITIZENS. 385 

haps, her stern, the extent of damage to which can only be ascer- 
tained by docking. 

" Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Faeeagtjt, Eear-Admiral. 
" Hon. Gideon "Welles, 

" Secretary of the Navy." 

These historic ships were great objects of curiosity on their 
arrival at the !N^avy-yard. Upon examination, it was discov- 
ered that the Hartford alone had been struck two hundred and 
forty times by shot and shell in nineteen months of actual ser- 
vice. 

When not quietly resting in his home at Hastings, Far- 
ragut found his time fully occupied in social duties. He 
showed his interest in the welfare of the village by contribut- 
ing the first five hundred dollars received as prize-money 
to the erection of an Episcopal church, as a thank-offering 
for his deliverance from the dangers to which he had been 
exposed. 

During his whole stay at the ISToi-th he was the recipient 
of distinguished consideration from her citizens, and the fol- 
lowing letter, treasured up among his papers, is worthy of 
production : 

" New Yoek, August 13, 1863. * 

" Sm : The citizens of New York are too familiar with your 
brilliant career in the public service not to feel earnestly desir- 
ous of showing, in some appropriate manner, their high appre- 
ciation of your personal and professional character. The whole 
country, but especially this commercial metropolis, owes you a 
large debt of gratitude for the skill and dauntless bravery with 
which, during a long life of public duty, you have illustrated 
and maintained the maritime rights of the nation, and also for 
the signal ability, judgment, and courtesy with which, in con- 
cert with other branches of the loyal national forces, you have 
sustained the authority of the Government, and recovered and 
defended national territory. The undersigned have great plea- 
sure in tendering you a cordial welcome on your return from 



386 



THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 



tlie successful discharge of responsible duties, the results of 
which have given increased admiration for the Navy, and a 
new lustre to the national flag. 

" In offering this expression of their cordial esteem, the un- 
dersigned request that you will gratify them and their fellow 
citizens, by appointing some convenient time, during your stay 
in this city, when you will allow them in person to assure you 
of the high respect and regard with which they are 

" Your obedient servants. 



Shepherd Knapp, 

B. E. WiNTHROP, 

E. Delafield Smith, 
Morris Ketohum, 
William H. Lee, 
Elliot C. Cowdin, 
Henry W. T. Mali, 
B. W. BoiraET, 
James G. King, 
Charles Kneeland, 
G. P. Bobbins, 
Leonard W. Jerome, 
Eichard 0. MoCoRMIOK, 
Eobert H. MoCurdy, 
David Hoadley, 
J. Seymour, 
Mason Thomson, 
John J. Cisco, 
M. H. Grinnell, 
Isaac Bell, 
James Gallatin, 
Char;,es Gould, 
Nehemiah Knight, 
E. D. Lathrop, 
William Barton, 
Prosper M. Wetmore, 
J, D. Vermilye, 



J. H. Fonda, 
W. M. Vermilye, 
KiSSAM & Co., 
A. V. Stout, 
H. Blydenburgh, 
J. BooRMAN Johnston 
R. H. LowEY, [& Co., 
A. M. Palmer, 
Eiohard Berry, 
A. T. Stewart, 
George S. Coe, 
Francis A. Hall, 
Joseph J. Comstook, 
S. Draper, 
Edward Mintuen, 
Henry S. Chapman, 
J. Taylor Johnston, 
E. Nye, 

0. E. Detmold, 
C. A, Stetson, 
Parker Jones, 
William H. Brown, 
David M. Barnes, 
Abraham M. Cozzens, 
J. Howard, Jr., 
Robert L. Taylor, 
Francis Lieber, 



A. W. Greenleaf, 
Nathaniel Hayden, 
Arthur Leary, 
Luther C. Clark, 
Denning Duer, 
O. D. F. Grant, 
Charles A. Secob, 
Hiram Barney, 
W. T. Howard, 
Charles G. Butler, 
J. H. Almy, 
George W. Blunt, 
Henry V. Poor, 
J. Austin Stevens, Jr., 
Henry J. Raymond, 

A. A. Low & Brothers, 
John B. Hall, 
Gibson A. Palmer, 

T. Ketcham, 
William E. Dodge, 
William Curtis Noyes, 
E. D, Stanton, 

C. C. NORVELL, 

D. Van Nostrand, 
David B. Scott, 
Richard A. MoCurdy, 

B. H. Hutton. 



" To Rear- Admiral David G. Fareagut, 
" United States Navy," 



The Chamber of Commerce of "New York also tendered 
their congratulations in the form of the following resolutions, 



RESOLUTIONS OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 387 

which were adopted on iN'ovember 5, 1863, engrossed on parch- 
ment, and presented to the Admiral : 

" Whereas^ Admiral Farragut has rendered most impor- 
tant service to the merchants of the United States, in com- 
mon with all its citizens, by his gallant conduct in opening 
the Mississippi River to the commerce of the world, and in 
rescuing the port of l^ew Orleans from rebel hands ; therefore 
be it 

^^Besolved, That in forcing the passage of the Mississippi 
E.iver under the guns of Forts St. Philip and Jackson, through 
narrow channels and against rapid currents, and through a fleet 
of fire-ships, rams, and men-of-war, and wresting from the 
enemies of the country the great port of !New Orleans, Admiral 
Farragut has achieved one of the most celebrated victories of 
any time, has added a new and lustrous page to the naval his- 
tory of the United States, and has proved himself a worthy 
successor of those earlier heroes of the republic who shrank 
from no obstacle, and whose daring was always superior to the 
difficulties and dangers of their undertaking. 

^'Resolved, That in the progress of the war for the unity and 
life of this great nation, no services have been more eminent 
than those of Admiral Farragut ; and both the commerce of the 
seaboard and the agricultural interest of the interior are specially 
indebted to him for an achievement which has so largely added 
to the prosperity of both. 

'•^Resolved, That in the daily increasing commerce of the 
port of New Orleans, this Chamber recognizes the natural re- 
sult of the returning loyalty of that great city, and accepts it as 
a pleasing omen of the renewed happiness and prosperity which 
will accrue to each and all of the southern cities when they are 
wrested from the oppressive rebel sway and restored to the 
mild and beneficent rule of the Government of our common 
fathers ; and, when the happy day of peace shall again dawn 
upon us a united and prosperous people, the fame of the man 
whom we now honor will be cherished by all alike as a common 
and national glory. 



388 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

'■^Resohed, That the Chamber of Commerce watches with 
profound interest the course of the Admiral, and will hail with 
joy and hope the day when, at the head of some noble squad- 
ron, he may again lead the victorious way to the restoration of 
other cities to the national rule. 

^^Resolved, That a fairly engrossed copy of these resolutions, 
duly certified to by the officers of the Chamber, be placed in 
the hands of the Admiral. 

" A. A. Low, President. 
"John Austin Stevens, Secretary." 

To which the Admiral sent the following reply : 

•'AsTOR House, New Yobk, 
'' December 16, 1863. 

" Sir : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of the 
' Resolutions of the Chamber of Commerce of the State of 
IN'ew York ' in relation to myself, handsomely engrossed on 
parchment, and accompanied by your kind letter fulfilling the 
requirements of said resolutions in presenting the copy. 

" In reply, I beg you, sir, to express to that honorable body 
my sincere thanks for this and other distinguished marks of 
their high appreciation of the services I have rendered our com- 
mon country, and particularly its commerce, both internal and 
external, by what they are pleased to consider ' one of the most 
celebrated achievements of any time — the capture of ]S'ew 
Orleans.' 

"That we did our duty to the best of our ability, I be- 
lieve; that a kind Providence smiled upon us and enabled 
us to overcome obstacles before which the stoutest of our 
hearts would have otherwise quailed, I am certain. I trust 
the recipient of these honors will ever remember the injunc- 
tion of the poet : 

' If thou hast strength, 'twas Heaven that strength bestowed. 
For know, vain man, that valor belongs to God. 
'Tis man's to fight, but God's to give success.' 



RESOLUTIONS OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 389 

Being on the eve of departing for my station, I fully feel and 
sliall gratefully cherish these kind sentiments of interest, and 
hope for the success of the fleet I have the honor to command ; 
and that those expectations may be reahzed is the sincere'de- 
sire of 

" Your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Faekagut, Rear-Admiral. 
" John Attstin Stevens, Esq., 
" Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce." 



CHAPTER XXYI. 

IN THE GULF AGAIN BLOCKADING MOBILE — OPINIONS ON NA- 
TIONAL ATTAIES — PKEPAEATI0N8 FOE THE BATTLE. 

Eaely in January, 1864, in tlie midst of a violent snow- 
storm, Farragut hoisted his flag again on the Hartford, and de- 
parted for the GuK. Many changes had taken place during his 
absence, and but few of his old officers remained in the squad- 
ron. An old associate. Captain Percival Drayton, commanded 
the flag-ship and acted as his Fleet Captain. Lieutenant-Com- 
mander J. C. Watson, who had served with him on the river, 
and to whom he had become very much attached, now per- 
formed the duties of Flag Lieutenant. In his letters he fre- 
quently mentions these gentlemen in the most afiectionate way, 
as having his full confidence. On his arrival at New Orleans, 
he wrote : " Here we are once more, my dear boy, at this place ; 
but oh, how changed ! Masked balls are the order of the day. 
They must be having a fine time, but the ' ram fever ' still ex- 
ists." 

After a short stay at the Crescent City, he visited Ship 
Island and Pensacola, the established depots for supplies and 
repairs. 

He was now preparing for the long-desired attack on the 
defenses of Mobile Bay. It was wholly impossible to prevent 
vessels from entering that port occasionally, in spite of the vigi- 
lance of the blockaders. Forts Morgan, Powell, and Gaines 
protected the principal channels, and the light blockade-run- 
ners would creep along shore under cover of night, guided by 
experienced pilots, and soon be under the protecting guns of the 
forts. It had become dangerous work, however, as the afi*air of 
the Oreto had put the officers on their mettle, and now and 



BLOCKADING MOBILE. 391 

then some adventurous craft would suffer for her temerity. 
Most of these vessels were bound for Matamoras, on the Rio 
Grande — at least their papers indicated this insignificant Mexi- 
can town as their destination. A story is told of the capture 
of a steamer off Mobile with every indication of being a block- 
ade-runner. The captain was sent on board the flag-ship and 
presented to the Admiral to be interrogated. Farragut recog- 
nized in him an old acquaintance and one of the most experi- 
enced merchant captains in the Gulf. It was a rather embar- 
rassing meeting, but Farragut treated his prisoner very kindly, 
asking him in his off-hand way, "what in the world he was 
doing so close in to Mobile, three hundred miles out of his 
coui-se, when his proposed destination was Matamoras ? " The 
captain replied to this close questioning by entering into a long 
account of the manner in which he " had been swept in-shore 
by a northeast gale." After he had finished, Farragut with a 
good-natured smile touched the man on the shoulder and re- 
marked, " How could you be blown to the northward and east- 
ward by a northeast gale ? I am sorry for you, but we shall 
have to hold you for your thundering bad navigation," 

Among the articles captured on this vessel were a thousand 
copies of a caricature of General Butler. 

On the 20th of January the Admiral made a reconnoissance 
of the defenses of the bay, concerning which he wrote to the 
Department : 

" I went in over the bar in the gunboat Octorora, Lieutenant- 
Commander Lowe, takiog the Itasca in company as a precaution 
against accident. "We passed up to Sand Island, and lay abreast 
of the light-house on it. The day was uncommonly fine, and 
the air very clear. We were distant from the forts three to 
three and one half miles, and could see everything distinctly. 
I am satisfied that if I had one iron-clad at this time I could 
destroy their whole force in the bay, and reduce the forts at 
my leisure, by cooperation with our land forces — say five thou- 
sand men. We must have about two thousand five hundred 
men in the rear of each fort, to make regular approaches by 



392 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

land, and to prevent the garrison's receiving supplies and reen- 
f orcements ; the fleet to run the batteries, and fight the flotilla 
in the bay. 

" But without iron-clads we should not be able to fight the 
enemy's vessels of that class with much prospect of success, 
as the latter would lie on the flats, where our ships could not go 
to destroy them. Wooden vessels can do nothing with them, 
unless by getting within one hundred or two hundred yards, so 
as to ram them or pour in a broadside. 

" The iron-clad I^ashville, I am told by a refugee, will not 
be ready before March ; and he says Buchanan made a speech 
to his men, saying that as soon as she is finished he will raise 
the blockade, etc. It is depressing to see how easily false re- 
ports circulate, and in what a state of alarm the community is 
kept by the most absurd rumors. If the Department could get 
one or two of the iron-clads here, it would put an end to this 
state of things, and restore confidence to the people of the ports 
now in our possession. 

" I feel no apprehension about Buchanan's raising the block- 
ade of Mobile ; but, with such a force as he has in the bay, it 
would be unwise to take in our wooden vessels, without the 
means of fighting the enemy on an equal footing. 

" By reference to the chart, you will see how small a space 
there is for the ships to manoeuvre." 

On the 2d of March Farragut wrote to his son : 

" I have just returned from a busy party. We have been 
shelling Fort Powell, in Grant's Pass. We were at it for two 
or three days. They replied to us with five or six rifled guns of 
large calibre. They struck the mortar schooner John Griffiths 
four times in succession with 100-pounder shells, but fortunately 
none of them exploded, and but one man was slightly wounded. 
The Jackson burst a Sawyer gun, and cracked another. The 
enemy's shot flew a mile beyond us, but struck none of the other 
vessels. We silenced them in an hour and a quarter, causing 
them to remain in their dodging-holes until we stopped at sunset. 



BLOCKADING MOBILE. 393 

We were four thousand yards off, lying fast aground — could get 
no closer. 

" I saw the Mobile ram Tennessee yesterday. She is very 
long, and I thought moved very slowly. 

" A norther is blowing, but as soon as it subsides I will take 
another look at her. If she comes out, we can see what she 
amounts to. If good for anything, she ought to be very for- 
midable. The Sawyer gun has great range and accm*acy, but 
the elevation and powder were too much for the strength of the 
metal. We had several 30-pounder Sawyers in the Calhoun 
[alluding to the reconnoissance at Fort Powell]. They stood 
well during the fight; but I must confess I had more confi- 
dence in the Parrotts. The great thing is that, when they burst, 
the fracture is generally forward of the jacket, and the men 
know that fact, and do not show the same anxiety as they do 
about the Sawyer." 

As the cares of his squadron required his presence every- 
where, the Admiral used a light-draught steamer captured in 
the river, called the Tennessee, as his flag-ship. She had now 
become a regular man-of-war, and was well adapted for the ser- 
vice required of her. Frequent visits were made to New Or- 
leans, Ship Island, and Pensacola. He was anxious to attack 
Mobile, as he felt that every week's delay rendered the work 
more dangerous. But he was delayed by orders, and by the 
necessity of awaiting the arrival of ships from the North. 
Meanwhile he wrote to his family various letters, from which 

the following extracts are taken : 

''March 5th. 

" As to my work, give yourself no uneasiness about it. When 
it is to be done, it will be done quickly, so far as I am con- 
cerned. I am as ready in a day as in a year." 

" FLAa-Smp Tennessee, 
'^ New Orleans^ Ajyril 4) 186^. 
" I am here in this city of attraction — at least for our young 
officers. It is the most difficult thing in the world to keep 
them away from it, and, when they once get here, to get them 



394 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

away again. I confess blockading is a most disagreeable busi- 
ness ; but, if we bad nothing but agreeable things to do in war, 
everybody would be in the Navy, and no one would be worthy 
of reward or promotion. We must take the world as it comes. 
This is a state of civil war, and God has dealt with us most 
generously thus far. My duty is arduous mentally only. 

" I suppose you saw the notice of me as ' Jack the Giant- 
Killer,' declaring that, when I had taken Mobile, they would 
give me a suitable force to take Charleston, and then run me 
for President of the United States! As if a man who had 
toiled up the ladder of life for fifty-two years, and reached the 
top round in his profession, did not need a little rest. My own 
opinion is, that if I survived those two engagements, there is 
little doubt that a presidential campaign would finish me. 'No, 
after I have finished my work, I hope to be allowed to spend 
the remainder of my days in peace and quiet with my family 
on the banks of the Hudson. 

" It is for man to plan, and God to rule, and I am perfectly 
submissive to His will, but hope He will grant my prayer. I 
expected from the beginning to fight to the end of this war, or 
to my end, and I am still ready and willing to do so if my 
health will permit. 

" This is a day to try men's hearts. It is blowing a perfect 
gale. The wind is howling, the rain is pouring down in tor- 
rents, and the quick fiashes of lightning and heavy peals of 
thunder, all combine to create melancholia ; and yet how thank- 
ful I feel for the blessings I am permitted to enjoy in being in 
port, instead of out at sea. My cabin is all afloat with rain 
running down from the heretofore undiscovered leaks." 

"A beautiful morning. It would be difiicult to believe 
that yesterday could have been such a day as above described. 
The vessels in port are returning to their stations, and, like 
good housekeepers, we are loosing sails to dry after rainy weath- 
er, cleaning up the good old ship, and making things comfort- 
able once more. The ship is in fine order. We get along like 
a happy family — only, I lack my wife. 



BLOCKADING MOBILE. 395 

" If any one asks what I am doing, answer, Kothing but 
waiting for the world to turn round till it comes to my turn to 
do something, and then I will ' pitch in ' ; but I am like cold 
sauce, always ready." 

^' April 24, 186 4. 

" My Son : This night two years ago was the anxious night 
of my life, when I felt as if the fate of my country, and my 
own life and reputation, were all on the wheel of fortune, to be 
turned by the finger of the All-Wise ; when Dixi, ' I said it.' 
It was only left to do or die. God was my leader, and we 
passed through a fiery furnace where none but He could have 
carried us. It is the second anniversary of the passage of Forts 
Jackson and St. Philip, and, being Sunday, it seemed a fit occa- 
sion for going to church and offering up our prayers and thanks 
to the Dispenser of all things for His blessings and mercies 
during the last two years. 

" We have had many gloomy days, and this is one of them. 
Secesh is holding her head high and looking steadily to the 
contest for supremacy, while we appear to think of nothing but 
the contest for a new president ! . . . . 

" I hear that the enemy got ahead of our troops on the 
march to Shreveport. Our forces had several miles of wagons 
ahead of the column, and no one looking out for the enemy. 
The first thing they knew, the enemy were upon them in force, 
and whipped them in detail, and Bull Run was reenacted. We 
lost three or four thousand killed, wounded, and missing, the 
wagon train, and twenty guns, the finest batteries we had. But 
the enemy followed too far, and were too much elated. Our 
people made a stand at Pleasant Hill, fell back in the centre, 
and out-flanked the enemy and cut them to pieces in turn. 
Our army fell back twenty miles to Grand Ecore, and ' made a 
masterly change of base,' in order to rest on the river, where 
the gunboats could give protection. 

" We daily expect to hear of a battle. How it will termi- 
nate, God only knows. 

" I tell you all these things, boy, that you may learn as you 

go along in life. At any rate, when you get a command, don't 
26 



396 • THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

put your baggage in tlie way, so tliat you can not get your 
troops or guns out except by stampeding. 

" I write flat on my back. I am just getting over a boil 
that would bumble the greatest bero that ever fought a ram. 

" Yours affectionately, 

" D. G. Fakbagut." 

In May, a beautiful sword, with scabbard of massive gold 
and silver, the hilt set in brilliants, was presented to the Admi- 
ral by members of the Union League Club, New York. The 
following letter accompanied it : 

" Union Leagtte Club, New Yoek, 
'' May 28, 1864. 
" Admiral David G. Faeeagttt, 

" Commanding Western Gulf Squadron, etc. 

" Dear Sm : On the part of members of the Union League 
Club, allow us to present you with the accompanying sword. 

" Please accept it as a slight token of the high esteem in 
which you are held here by all, and an evidence of our appre- 
ciation of the brilliant services you have rendered to our com- 
mon country. 

" With the assurance that you will always have our sympa- 
thies and best wishes, 

" We remain, yours sincerely, 

" Heney L. Pierson, 
" Theodore Roosevelt, 
" Frank E. Howe, 
" Committee on Presentation." 

The sword and letter were transmitted through General 
James Bowen, who added his own sentiments and congratula- 
tions : 

" New Oeleans, June 14, 1864- 

" My Dear Admiral : I am most happy to be the medium 
of transmitting to you the accompanying sword, presented to 
you by the Loyal League of New York, as a testimonial of the 



PRESENTATION OF A SWORD. 397 

sense in whicli your distingmshed services to the Union are 
held by that association of loyal men. 

" The presentation ought to have been made on the waters 
of the Mississippi, and in front of the city you compelled to 
return to its allegiance. It should have been made in the pres- 
ence of the Army and Navy, that they might learn to emulate 
your glorious achievements by seeing how a grateful people ap- 
preciate them ; nor would the lesson have been without its value 
upon this population, whose seeming loyalty is maintained only 
by the guns directed at them. 

" But you are away, watching over the interests of the coun- 
try for which you have done so much, and the presentation 
must be made without its fitting circumstances and appropriate 
witnesses. 

"I remain, very dear Admiral, with great respect, your 
obedient servant, 

" James Bowen, Brigadier-General. 

" To Rear- Admiral D. G. Faeeagut." 

'No one could appreciate such a compliment more deeply 
than Admiral Farragut. His replies to these letters are charac- 
teristically simple and emphatic : 

" United States Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 

" Off Mobile Bae, June 18, 1864- 

" My Dear General : I have the honor to acknowledge the 
receipt of your kind note informing me of your having been 
assigned the agreeable duty of transmitting me a sword, pre- 
sented by the Loyal League of New York, as a testimonial of 
the sense in which my services to the Union are held by that 
association of loyal men. 

" I sincerely thank you. General, for your good intentions 
of a public presentation and the high-toned and flattering senti- 
ments you express. But, as you say. General, I am away watch- 
ing over the interests of our country, and literally watching its 
enemies, who, like hawks, are ready to pounce upon us at the 
first unguarded moment. Had I been able, however, to be 



398 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

present and to have received the sword in the manner you de- 
sired, I could only have expressed, under the fair canopy of 
heaven and in the presence of thousands, my grateful sense of 
the high appreciation of my services to the country by the Loyal 
League in the presentation of this most appropriate testimonial. 

" I beg you to say to the presiding officer of the League 
that I receive the sword with a full appreciation of the great 
honor thus conferred. And, as my whole life has been devoted 
to my country, I hope that in the due course of time it will 
descend to an only son, who will, like his father, always be 
ready to draw it in defense of the Union and against its enemies. 

" With great respect, General, I remain your obedient ser- 
vant, 

" D. G. Faekagut, Eear- Admiral. 

*' To Brigadier-General James Bowen." 

" United States Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 

" Off Mobile, J^me 25, 186 4. 

" Gentlemen : I have the honor of acknowledging the re- 
ceipt of your communication, or scroll of presentation, with the 
sword presented me by the Union League of New York. 

'^ I was informed of its arrival in New Orleans by a most 
courteous and flattering letter from Brigadier-General Bowen, 
to whom I sent my answer, requesting him to say to the Union 
League that I received the sword with a full appreciation of 
the great honor conferred upon me. This letter will, no doubt, 
be laid before you in due course of time ; but it gives me great 
pleasure to repeat to you, gentlemen, my sincere thanks for this 
testimonial of your high appreciation of my services to the 
country to which my whole life has been devoted. 

" Next to the feeling of having done your duty is that of 
knowing that your efforts are appreciated by your countrymen. 
I receive this gift as one of those gi-atifying evidences, and you 
may rest assured, gentlemen, that it will be duly cherished by 
your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Fakkagut, Eear-Admiral. 
" To Messrs. Henet L. Pieeson, Tueodoee Roosevelt, Feank E. Howe, 
*' Committee on Presentation." 



PREPAKATIONS FOR THE BATTLE. 399 

I continue the extracts from his letters, which show how 
his preparations progressed : 

" Pensaoola, May 12th. 
" My Deak Son : I have not written to you for some time, 
having been so pressed with business that I have not a moment 
to spare. I am depressed by the bad news from every direction. 
The enemy seem to be bending their whole soul and body to 
the war, and whipping us in every direction. What a disgrace 
that, with their slender means, they should, after three years, 
contend with us from one end of the country to the other, after 
we had taken nearly half of their land ! I trust that the tele- 
grams from the North are not correct. The rebels say they 
have defeated Grant ; but I do not believe it, and my opinion 
is, that if they whip him to-day they will have to repeat it to- 
morrow. 

''May ISth. 

" While I was writing, my mail schooner arrived from !N^ew 
Orleans, bringing continued bad news — ^that Grant is hemmed 
in, and Porter working to get out of Ked Kiver. The rebels 
had a jubilee yesterday at Fort Morgan, in honor of the capture 
of Steele by Price. I expect Porter to save Banks. I am very 
much afraid the army will be captured. I get right sick, every 
now and then, at the bad news. 

" The Bermuda is coming in. She brings me some oflScers. 

" I still hope Grant has beaten Lee by this time ; but, since 
I know the locality of the campaign, I doubt it, for its success 
seems to depend on the ignorance of the rebels as to our inten- 
tions, whereas they appear to know everything that is going on 
in our councils as soon as it is uttered. We seem to be sur- 
rounded by spies and traitors, in almost every public office in 
the country. 

" I am at work on the old Hartford, to make her ready for 
any work I may have to do. 

" So you are destined, my son, to be satisfied with that old 
sword which Pinkham gave me. It has been my trusty com- 



400 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

panion through most of the dangers of my life. I hope you 
will always value it highly. 

" May God bless and preserve you. 

"D. G. Fakragut." 

"Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
♦'Off Mobile, May 21, I864. 

"Well, here we are again, my son, off this disagreeable 
place, blockading. I learned last night that Buchanan had 
gotten down, in the ram Tennessee, to Fort Morgan ; so it was 
as little as I could do to come and see if such was the case, and 
if he intended to ' raise the blockade.' One thing appears to 
be certain, that I can get none of the iron-clads. They want 
them all for Washington. We will trust in God, as we have 
always done before. 

" You can only know by your own feelings what suspense I 
must be in, at this distance from the scene of the impending 
battles in Virginia. We have the Southern papers of the 17th, 
and yet they contain no news. All is dark with respect to 
Grant and Lee. Grant has done one thing. He has gone to 
work making war and doing his best, and kept newsmongers 
out of his army. The only comfort I have is, that the Confed- 
erates are more unhappy, if possible, than we are. 

''May2U. 
" Since writing the above our mail has arrived, and the news 
is most cheering. Grant is coming up to the mark of a soldier. 
He is earnest, as well as the enemy ; and so they will be likely 
to fight it out. We ought to pray for the preservation of 
Grant's life." 

In a letter of about the same date, still off Mobile, he 
writes : 

" I am lying off here, looking at Buchanan and awaiting his 
coming out. He has a force of four iron-clads and three 
wooden vessels. I have eight or nine wooden vessels. We'll 
try to amuse him if he comes. 



PREPARATIONS FOR THE BATTLE. 401 

"Well, boy, all these stirring events are to you what 1812 
was to me, only you are of a better age than I was at that 
time. 

" We started with few good officers of experience, but shall 
end with some of the best in the world. Our fellows are be- 
ginning to understand that war means fighting. It is the duty 
of an officer to save his men as much as possible ; but in almost 
all cases there has to be a certain amount of sacrifice of life. 

" I have a fine set of vessels here just now, and am anxious 
for my friend Buchanan to come out." 

To Admiral Bailey, at Key West, he writes, on May 26th : 

"Everything depends upon the great battles in Yirginia 
and Georgia. I am watching Buchanan in the ram Tennessee. 
She is a formidable-looking thing, and there are four others, 
and three wooden gunboats. They say he is waiting for the 
two others to come out and attack me, and then raid upon JSTew 
Orleans. Let him come. I have a fine squadron to meet him, 
all ready and willing. I can see his boats very industriously 
laying down torpedoes, so I judge that he is quite as much 
afraid of our going in as we are of his coming out ; but I have 
come to the conclusion to fight the devil with fire, and there- 
fore shall attach a torpedo to the bow of each ship, and see 
how it will work on the rebels — if they can stand blowing up 
any better than we can. The news from the Korth is still very 
good, by our papers, and not bad by the rebel papers. They 
only claim to have whipped Butler and repulsed Grant. 

" June 3d. 
"It amuses me to see the effect of religion. Everybody 
relies upon God until it comes to fighting ; then they rely upon 
men. You can't make men fight unless they are so disposed. 
Kemember the words, ' Yictory or success is with God.' He 
must give Grant the power over his officers and men to fight, 
and himself the gift of foresight into results, and the daring to 
undertake. As I believe God is on our side, I believe He will 
sooner or later give us the victory. . . . 



402 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

" A Mobile paper says : ' An old naval officer, looking at 
Farragiit's fleet manoeuvring, says it was very lubberly.' I 
don't suppose lie ever saw a fieet exercise in his life ! 

" Off Mobile, June 9th. 

" I only drop you a line to-day, to let you know that I am 
well, thank God ! Alden, Jenkins, Marchand, and Leroy all 
dined with me yesterday. I had a fine turkey, given me by 
the captain of the Circassian, and a gopher by the captain of 
the Itasca. 

" I wrote you by the prize Donegal, captured by Jouett. I 
hope she will get home safely. I am always afraid of those 
vessels being recaptured. I think, after the brush of the Ala- 
bama in Mississippi Sound, my friend Buchanan will be a little 
more chary about coming out to visit ' Farragut's fleet,' as they 
call it. I wish he would come along and let us have it over. 

" Watson is well again. I would not advise him to go home, 
for the world ; it would break his heart. He thinks he is bound 
to see the war out. 

^^ June Slat. 

" I am tired of watching Buchanan and Page, and wish 
from the bottom of my heart that Buck would come out and 
try his hand upon us. This question has to be settled, iron 
versus wood ; and there never was a better chance to settle the 
question as to the sea-going qualities of iron-clad ships. "We 
are to-day ready to try anything that comes along, be it wood 
or iron, in reasonable quantities. Anything is preferable to 
lying on our oars. But I shall have patience until the army has 
finished its campaign in Yirginia and Georgia. I hope it will 
be the close of the war. 

" July 6th. 

" My Dear Son : I received your letter, as well as that of 
your mother, yesterday — my birthday, sixty-three years old. I 
was a little down in the mouth, because I thought we had not 
done as well as we ought to, in destroying a blockade-runner 
that tried to force her way by us. But Dyer, in the Glasgow, 
ran her on shore under the guns of Fort Morgan, and I had 



PREPARATIONS FOR THE BATTLE. 403 

been trying to get tlie gunboats to destroy her, but they did bad 
work, and the rebels were at it night before last, trying to get 
her off. I determined to send a party to board and set her on 
fire. "Watson volunteered for the work, and I sent him with 
Tyson, Ensigns Dana, Whiting, Glidden, and Pendleton, and 
Master's Mate Herrick. Jouett and McCann covered the 
party. Well, as you may suppose, it was an anxious night for 
me ; for I am almost as fond of Watson as yourself, and in- 
terested in the others. I thought it was to be a hand-to- 
hand fight, if any. I sat up till midnight, and then thought 
they had found the enemy in too great force, and had given it 
up, so I lay down to rest. About half an hour later the rebel 
was reported to be on fire, and I was happy, because I had 
heard no firing and knew the surprise had been perfect. And 
60 it turned out. The rebels scampered off as our fellows 
climbed on board. The boats returned about 2 o'clock a. m., 
all safe — no one hurt. I was anxious until their return. 
But no one knows what my feelings are ; I am always calm 
and quiet. 

" I have never seen a crew come up like ours. They are 
ahead of the old set in small arms, and fuUy equal to them at 
the great guns. They arrived here a mere lot of boys and 
young men, and have now fattened up, and knock the nine-inch 
guns about like 24-pounders, to the astonishment of everybody." 

'' July W, 1864. 
" The victory of the Kearsarge over the Alabama raised me 
up. I would sooner have fought that fight than any ever fought 
on the ocean. Only think ! it was fought like a tournament, in 
full view of thousands of French and English, with a perfect 
confidence, on the part of all but the Union people, that we 
would be whipped. People came from Paris to witness the 
fight. Why, my poor little good-for-nothing Hatteras would 
have whipped her [the Alabama] in fifteen minutes, but for an 
unlucky shot in her boiler. She struck the Alabama two shots 
for one, while she floated. But the triumph of the Kearsarge 
was grand. Winslow had my old First Lieutenant of the Hart- 



404 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

ford, Thornton, in the Kearsarge. He is as brave as a lion, and 
as cool as a parson. I go for Winslow's promotion ! " 

" Off Mobile, July 31st. 

" My Dear Son : I have been trying for some time to find 
a spare moment to drop you a line, but could not do so ; but, as 
this may be my last opportunity, I avail myself of it, as the 
boat is now o£f for New Orleans. 

" The monitors have all arrived, except the Tecumseh, and 
she is at Pensacola and I hope will be here in two days. The 
Confederates at Fort Morgan are making great preparations to 
receive us. That concerns me but little. I know Buchanan, 
and Page, who commands the fort, will do all in their power to 
destroy us, and we will reciprocate the compliment. I hope to 
give them a fair fight, if I once get inside. I expect nothing 
from them but that they will try to blow me up if they 
can. . . . 

" With such a mother, you could not fail to have proper sen- 
timents of religion and virtue. I feel that I have done my 
duty by you both, as far as the weakness of my nature would 
allow. I have been devoted to you both, and, when it pleases 
God to take me hence, I shall feel that I have done my duty. 
I am not conscious of ever having wronged any one, and have 
tried to do as much good as I could. Take care of your moth- 
er if I should go, and may God bless and preserve you both ! 

" Your devoted father, 

" D. G. Fabbagtjt." 

The preparations for the attack on the defenses of Mobile 
were now about completed, and Farragut had apprised each of 
his commanders of his plans for passing into the bay. Generals 
Canby and Granger had visited the Hartford, and in this inter- 
view it had been agreed that all the troops that could be spared 
should be sent to cooperate with the fleet in the attack upon 
Forts Morgan and Gaines. Subsequently General Canby in- 
formed the Admiral that he had not sufficient force to invest 
both forts ; so, at Farragut's suggestion, a body of troops was 



PEEPARATIONS FOR THE BATTLE. 405 

landed on Dauphin Island, a long, narrow strip of land on 
wliich Fort Gaines is situated, the landing being covered by the 
Conemaugb, Lieutenant-Commander J. C. P. DeKrafift. 

Farragut appreciated the assistance of the army in this case, 
and the responsibility of his position. He determined not to 
commit the imprudence of beginning an attack without having 
taken every precaution to insure success. He says in a private 
letter : "I am ready to take the offensive the moment the army 
will act with me. There is no doing anything with these forts 
so long as their back-doors are open ; besides, my communica- 
tions must be kept open for supplies, which requires a force of 
troops to cut off all the enemy's land communication with 
Mobile." 

The 4th of August had been fixed upon as the day for the 
landing of the troops and the entrance into the bay ; but, as 
Farragut says in his detailed report of the engagement, " owing 
to delays mentioned in Captain Jenkins's communication to me, 
the Tecumseh was not ready. General Granger, however, to 
my mortification, was up to time, and the troops actually land- 
ed on Dauphin Island. As subsequent events proved, this 
delay turned to our advantage, as the rebels were busily en- 
gaged during the 4th in throwing troops and supplies into 
Fort Gaines, all of which were captured a few days after- 
ward." 

The attack was now postponed till the next morning. The 
following letter, which I give in full, shows that Farragut ap- 
'J)reciated the desperate work before him : 

"Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
" Off Mobile, August 4, 186^. 

" My Deaeest Wife : I write and leave this letter for you, 
I am going into Mobile Bay in the morning, if God is my 
leader, as I hope He is, and in Him I place my trust. If He 
thinks it is the proper place for me to die, I am ready to submit 
to His will, in that as all other things. My great mortification 
is, that my vessels, the iron-clads, were not ready to have gone 
in yesterday. The army landed last night, and are in full view 



406 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

of us this morning, and tlie Tecumseh has not yet arrived from 
Pensacola. 

" God bless and preserve you, my darling, and my dear boy, 
if anything should happen to me, and may His blessings also rest 
upon your dear mother, and all your sisters and their children. 

" Your devoted and affectionate husband, who never for one 
moment forgot his love, duty, or fidelity to you, his devoted 
and best of wives. 

" D. G. Faeragut. 

"To Mrs. D. G. Faeragtjt, 
" Hastings on the Hudson." 



CHAPTER XXYII. 

THE BATTLE OF MOBILE BAT — ^DESCRIPTION OF THE DEFENSES 

DISPOSITION OF THE FLEET RUNNING BY THE FORTS — SINK- 
ING OF THE TECUMSEH ENCOUNTER WITH THE RAM TEN- 
NESSEE — CHASING THE ENEMy's GUNBOATS — SURRENDER OF 

FORT GAINES — INCIDENTS THE ADMIRAl's DETAILED REPORT 

POETRY. 

The battle of Mobile Bay was the most brilliant action in 
wliicli Farragut took part, and tbe crowning achievement of bis 
naval career. The defenses of the bay, at the time of this at- 
tack, consisted mainly of the three forts — Morgan, Gaines, and 
Powell. Fort Morgan, a pentagonal, bastioned work, with a 
full scarp wall of brick, four feet eight inches thick, is on the 
west end of a peninsula which incloses the bay, called Mobile 
Point, and forms, with Gaines, the principal defense of the main 
ship-channel from the Gulf. Its armament consisted of eighty- 
six guns of various calibers — rifled thirty-twos, ten-inch colum- 
biads, and two seven-inch and eight-inch Brooks rifles. In each 
bastion flank were two smooth-bore 24-pounders. In the exte- 
rior batteries twenty-nine additional guns were placed ; the 
water battery, in particular, bearing two rifled thirty-twos, four 
ten-inch columbiads, and one eight-inch Brooks rifle. "Within 
was a citadel for soldiers' quarters, loop-holed for musketry. 
The garrison, including officers and men, numbered six hundred 
and forty. 

Fort Gaines stands at the eastern extremity of Dauphin 
Island, three miles northwest from Fort Morgan. This is a 
star-shaped fort, built of brick, with semi-detached scarp of five 



408 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

feet, and small works in tlie angles for flank defense. When 
the army landed for its investment, only thirty guns were 
mounted, of which three were columbiads, and the others 32- 
and 24-pounders. Platforms were prepared for ten additional 
guns. The garrison consisted of forty-six officers and eight 
hundred and eighteen men. 

On the flats southward and eastward of Fort Gaines, innu- 
merable piles were driven, to obstruct the passage of vessels, 
and, from these, two lines of torpedoes extended toward Fort 
Morgan, terminating at a point a few hundred yards from that 
fort, indicated by a red buoy. This portion of the channel was 
left open for the convenience of blockade-nmners. Yessels 
using it were compelled to pass within easy range of the guns 
of the fort. 

Six miles northwest of Fort Gaines is another narrow chan- 
nel, for light-draught vessels, called Grant's Pass. Here the 
Confederates had begun the construction of a redoubt on a small 
island, partly of made land, between Cedar Point and Little 
Dauphin Island. The front face was nearly completed, and 
mounted an eight-inch columbiad, and one six-and-four-tenths 
and two seven-inch Brooks rifles. 

Auxiliary to this land defense, about five hundred yards 
northward from Fort Morgan, lay the iron-clad steamer Ten- 
nessee. She was two hundred and nine feet in length, and forty 
feet broad, with a projecting iron prow, two feet below the water 
line. Her sloping sides were covered with an armor varying 
from five to six inches in thickness. She carried six Brooks 
rifled cannon in casemate, two of which were pivot, and the 
others broadside guns, throwing solid projectiles of one hundred 
and ten and ninety-five pounds respectively. The ports, of 
which there were ten, were so arranged that the pivot guns 
could be fought in broadside, sharp on the forward quarter, and 
in a direct line with the keel. Her steering gear was badly 
arranged and much exposed. 

"Nesir her were anchored three wooden gunboats — the Mor- 
gan, Gaines, and Selma. The Morgan carried one 63 cwt. eight- 
inch gun and five 57 cwt. 32-pounders ; the Gaines, one eight- 



DISPOSITION OF THE FLEET. 409 

inch Brooks rifle and five 57 cwt. 32-ponnders ; the Selma, three 
eight-inch Paixhans and one old-fashioned heavy 32-pounder 
converted into a rifle and banded at the breech, throwing a solid 
projectile weighing about sixty pounds. 

Farragut had already issued these general orders, and there 
was no secret as to his proposed attack : 

(General Order, No. 10.) 

" U. S. Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
" Off Mobile Bay, July 12, I864. 

" Strip your vessels and prepare for the conflict. Send down 
all your superfluous spars and rigging. Trice up or remove the 
whiskers. Put up the splinter nets on the starboard side, and 
barricade the wheel and steersmen with sails and hammocks. 
Lay chains or sand-bags on the deck over the machinery, to 
resist a plunging fire. Hang the sheet chains over the side, or 
make any other arrangement for security that your ingenuity 
may suggest. Land your starboard boats, or lower and tow 
them on the port side, and lower the port boats down to the 
water's edge. Place a leadsman and the pilot in the port- 
quarter boat, or the one most convenient to the commander. 

" The vessels will run past the forts in couples, lashed side by 
side, as hereinafter designated. The flag-ship will lead and 
steer from Sand Island N". by E. by compass, until abreast of 
Fort Morgan, then I!^. W. half ^N". until past the Middle 
Ground, then K. by "W., and the others, as designated in the 
drawing, will follow in due order, until ordered to anchor ; but 
the bow-and-quarter line must be preserved, to give the chase 
guns a fair range ; and each vessel must be kept astern of the 
broadside of the next ahead ; each vessel will keep a very little 
on the starboard quarter of his next ahead, and, when abreast 
of the fort, will keep directly astern, and, as we pass the fort, 
will take the same distance on the port-quarter of the next 
ahead, to enable the stern guns to fire clear of the next vessel 
astern. 

" It will be the object of the Admiral to get as close to the 



410 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. 

fort as possible before opening fire ; the ships, however, will 
open fire the moment the enemy opens upon us, with their 
chase and other guns, as fast as they can be brought to bear. 
Use short fuses for the shell and shrapnel, and, as soon as 
within 300 or 400 yards, give them grape. It is understood 
that heretofore we have fired too high, but, with grape-shot, it 
is necessary to elevate a little above the object, as grape will 
dribble from the muzzle of the gun. 

" If one or more of the vessels be disabled, their partners 
must carry them through, if possible ; but, if they can not, then 
the next astern must render the required assistance ; but, as the 
Admiral contemplates moving with the flood-tide, it will only 
require sufficient power to keep the crippled vessels in the 
channel. 

" Yessels that can, must place guns upon the poop and top- 
gallant forecastle, and in the tops on the starboard side. Should 
the enemy fire grape, they will remove the men from the top- 
gallant forecastle and poop to the guns below, until out of grape 
range. 

" The howitzers must keep up a constant fire from the time 
they can reach with shrapnel until out of its range," 

(General Order, Ko. 11.) 

" Should any vessel be disabled to such a degree that her 
consort is unable to keep her in her station, she will drop out of 
line westward and not embarrass the vessels next astern by 
attempting to regain her station. Should she repair damages 
so as to be able to reenter the line of battle, she will take her 
station in the rear, as near the last ship as possible. So soon as 
the vessels have passed the fort and kept away to the N. W., 
they can cast off the gunboats at the discretion of the senior 
officer of the two vessels, and allow them to proceed up the bay 
and cut off the enemy's gunboats that may be attempting to 
escape up to Mobile. There are certain black buoys placed by 
the enemy across the channel, from the piles on the west side 
of the channel toward Fort Morgan. It being understood that 



DISPOSITION OF THE FLEET. 411 

there are torpedoes and other obstructions between the buoys, 
the vessels will take care to pass eastward of the easternmost 
buoy, which is clear of all obstructions. The Admiral will 
endeavor to remove the others before the day of attack, as he 
thinks they support that which will otherwise sink, and at least 
to destroy them for guides to the demons who hope to explode 
them. So soon as the vessel is opposite the end of the piles, it 
will be best to stop the propeller of the ship and let her run in 
with her headway and the tide, and those having side-wheel 
gunboats will continue on with the aid of their paddles, which 
are not likely to foul with their drag-ropes. 

" D. G. Fakeagut, Eear-Admiral. 

" Commanding Western Gulf Squadron. 
"P. S.— Carry low steam. D. G. F." 

Farragut's ships were arriving rapidly, and a great deal of 
enthusiasm was manifested in the fleet. Acting Rear- Admiral 
Bailey, who led the fleet at the passage of Forts Jackson and 
St. Philip, and who now commanded the East Gulf Squadron, 
even as far back as March had written, " I reciprocate with you 
in perfectly ignoring personal interests or private feeling, but 
going in with heart and soul for the good of the service and 
the perpetuation of the nation in its entirety. Nothing will 
please me more than to hoist once more the square red flag, and 
lead the van of your squadron into Mobile Bay to the capture 
of Forts Morgan and Gaines, as well as the city. Put me down 
for two chances, as the Jackass said to the Monkey at the Lion's 
ball." 

But circumstances prevented Bailey from taking part in 
the attack, much to his regret. The yellow fever broke out in 
his squadron, he was stricken down himself, and it was deemed 
prudent, for sanitary reasons, that the vessels of the two com- 
mands should be kept apart. 

After describing the state of affairs in his squadron. Admiral 

Bailey wrote, July 30th. ..." Under these circumstances, I 

opine that my appearance ofi Mobile, with the San Jacinto or 

any of my vessels, would be deemed by you more dangerous to 

27 



412 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT, 

your squadron tlian Admiral Buchanan's fleet of gunboats and 
iron-clads. 

" Your kind letter is at Land, and I liave a longing desire to 
be with you at the attack on Fort Morgan and the rebel fleet. 
From all I hear of the movements of the Army of the Gulf, I 
hardly think they will be able to codperate with you in force 
before October or November. In the mean time I propose to 
avail myseK of authority received by the last mail, to turn over 
my command to Captain T. P. Green, with permission to return 
North for the purpose of recruiting my health. Hoping to be 
down in time to join in the attack on Mobile, of the date of 
which I hope you will keep me advised, I am," etc. 

Volunteers were not wanting, Commander J. R. M. Mul- 
lany and Lieutenant-Commander George H. Perkins being con- 
spicuous among the number. The former was assigned to the 
gunboat Oneida, and the latter to the double-turreted monitor 
Chickasaw. 

Farragut had fully intended to run into the bay on the 4th 
of August ; but the non-arrival of the Tecumseh from Pensa- 
cola, as already described, prevented him from doing so. It 
was with great satisfaction that he saw her steam behind Sand 
Island on that afternoon, and take up her anchorage with the 
Winnebago, Manhattan, and Chickasaw. 

On the morning of the 5th, long before day, through the 
whole fleet could be heard the boatswains' cheery pipes and 
calls of " all hands " and " up all hammocks " — sounds so fa- 
miliar on ship-board; and soon after an orderly entered the 
cabin and called Captain Drayton. While the Admiral, Dray- 
ton, and Palmer were partaking of their breakfast, daybreak 
was reported, but weather threatening rain. The clouds worked 
round, however, and, in spite of its being Friday, the sailors' 
day of misgivings, they congratulated themselves on the good 
omen. The wind too was west-southwest — just where Farra- 
gut wanted it, as it would blow the smoke of the guns on Fort 
Morgan ! 

At four o'clock the wooden ships formed in double column, 



DISPOSITION OF THE FLEET. 413 

lashed in pairs, in the following order, the first mentioned of 
each pair being the starboard vessel : 

Brooklyn. — Captain James Alden. 

OoTOEORA. — Lieut. -Commander Charles H. Green. 

Haetfoed, j^a^-«Aip. — Fleet-Captain Percival Drayton. 
Metaoomet. — Lieut.-Commander James E. Jouett. 

RiCHMOisrD. — Captain Thornton A. Jenliins. 

Poet Royal. — Lieut.-Commander Bancroft Gherardi. 

Laokawaistna. — Captain J. B. Marchand. 
Seminole. — Commander Edward Donaldson. 

MoNONGAHKLA. — Commander James H. Strong. 
Kennebec. — Lieut.-Commander William P. McCann. 

Ossipee. — Commander "William E. Le Roy. 
Itasoa. — Lieut.-Commander George Brown. 

Oneida. — Commander J. R. Madison Mullany. 
Galena. — Lieut.-Commander Clark H. WeUs. 



The Brooklyn was appointed to lead, because she had four 
chase-guns and apparatus for picking up torpedoes. 

At haK past five the Admiral, still sipping his tea, quietly 
said, " "Well, Drayton, we might as weU get under way." In 
one minute answering signals came from the whole fleet, the 
wooden vessels taking up their respective positions, and steer- 
ing for Sand Island Channel, while the four monitors filed out 
of Monitor Bay, and formed in single column to the right of 
the wooden ships, the leading one being abreast of the Brooklyn, 
thus : 

Teottmseh. — Commander T. A. M. Craven. 

Manhattan. — Commander J. "W. A. Nicholson. 
"Winnebago. — Commander Thomas H. Stevens. 

Chickasaw. — Lieut.-Commander George H. Perkins. 

The Confederate vessels had in the mean time taken up their 
position in single line of echelon across the channel, with their 
port batteries bearing on the fleet. The Tennessee was a little 



414: THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

westward of tlie red buoy and close to the inner line of torpe- 
does. 

Farragut had taken the precaution to place the steamers 
Genesee, Pinola, Pembina, Sebago, Tennessee, and Bienville 
to the south and east of Fort Morgan, to keep up a flank fire on 
that fortress ; but they could not anchor sufiiciently near to be 
of much service. 

At 6 : 47 A. M. the booming of the Tecumseh's guns was 
heard, and shortly afterward Morgan replied. As the fleet of 
wooden vessels came within shorter range, Farragut made signal 
for "closer order," which was promptly obeyed, each vessel 
closing up to within a few yards of the one ahead, and a little 
on the starboard quarter, thiis enabling such of the ships as 
had chase-guns to bring them to bear. The ball had opened, 
but the enemy had the advantage, and the Union fleet now 
received a raking fire from forts and rebel gunboats for fully 
half an hour before they could bring their broadsides to bear 
with effect. But at the end of that time the BrookljTi and 
Hartford were enabled to pour in their broadsides, driving the 
gunners from the barbette and water batteries. 

While the movements of the Tecumseh are being eagerly 
watched by all in the fleet, let us turn to the scene on the flag- 
ship. On the poop-deck stands Captain Drayton. About him 
are the officers of the staff — Watson, Yates, McKinley, and 
Brownell — while Knowles, the signal quartermaster, identified 
with the Hartford, attends to his duties. We must not forget 
the three old sailors at the wheel — McFarland, Wood, and Jas- 
sin. They have been in every engagement of the ship, and 
upon their coolness, in a great measure, depends its safety. 
And there stood the Admiral in the port main rigging, a few 
ratlins up, where he could see all about him, and at the same 
time converse with Jouett, who stood on the wheel-house of 
the Metacomet, which was lashed alongside. Freeman, his 
trusty pilot, stood above him in the top. In contrast with 
this, the scene on deck, where the men worked their guns with 
a will, was one of animation. As the smoke increased and 
obscured his view, the Admiral, step by step, ascended the rig- 



RUNNING BY THE FORTS. 415 

ging, until he found himself partly above the futtock bands and 
holding on to the futtock shrouds. The watchful eye of Dray- 
ton detected his perilous position, and, fearing that some slight 
shock might precipitate him into the sea, he ordered Knowles 
to take up a line and make the Admiral's position more secure. 
Knowles says, in his simple narrative, " I went up with a piece 
of lead-line, and made it fast to one of the forward shrouds, 
and then took it round the Admiral to the after shroud, making 
it fast there. The Admiral said, ' Kever mind, I am all right ' ; 
but I went ahead and obeyed orders, for I feared he would fall 
overboard if anything should carry away or he should be struck." 
Here Farragut remained until the fleet entered the bay. 

From the private journal of an officer who was on the Hart- 
ford, I take the following extract referring to the commence- 
ment of the action : 

" The order was, to go ' slowly, slowly,' and receive the fire 
of Fort Morgan. At six minutes past seven the fort opened, 
having allowed us to get into such short range that we appre- 
hended some snare ; in fact, I heard the order passed for our 
guns to be elevated for fourteen hundred yards some time be- 
fore one was fired. The calmness of the scene was sublime. 
N^o impatience, no irritation, no anxiety, except for the fort to 
open ; and, after it did open, full five minutes elapsed before 
we answered. In the mean time the guns were trained as if at 
a target, and all the sounds I could hear were, ' Steady ! boys, 
steady ! Left tackle a little ; so ! so ! ' Then the roar of a 
broadside, and an eager cheer as the enemy Avere driven from 
their water battery. Don't imagine they were frightened ; no 
man could stand under that iron shower ; and the brave fellows 
returned to their guns as soon as it lulled, only to be driven 
away again. 

" At twenty minutes past seven we had come within range 
of the enemy's gunboats, which opened their fire upon the 
Hartford, and, as the Admiral told me afterward, made her 
their special target. First they struck our foremast, and then 
lodged a shot of 120 pounds in our mainmast. By degrees 



416 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

tliey got better elevation ; and I have saved a splinter from 
the hammock netting to show how they felt their way lower. 
Splinters after that came by cords, and in size sometimes were 
like logs of wood. 'No longer eame the cheering cry, ' Nobody 
hurt yet.' The Hartford, by some unavoidable chance, fought 
the enemy's fleet and fort together for twenty minutes by her- 
seK, timbers crashing, and wounded pouring down — cries never 
to be forgotten." 

By half past seven the Tecumseh was well up with the fort, 
and drawing slowly by the Tennessee, having her on the port 
beam, when suddenly she reeled to port and went down with 
almost every soul on board, destroyed by a torpedo. 

Craven, in his eagerness to engage the ram, had passed to 
the west of the fatal buoy. If he had gone but his breadth of 
beam eastward of it, he would have been safe, so far as the tor- 
pedoes were concerned. 

This appalling disaster was not immediately realized by the 
fleet. Some supposed the Tennessee had been sunk, or some 
advantage gained over the enemy, and cheer after cheer from 
the Hartford was taken up and echoed along the line. But 
Farragut, from his lofty perch, saw the true state of affairs, and 
his anxiety was not decreased when the Brooklyn, just ahead, 
suddenly stopped. He hailed his pilot Freeman above him in 
the top, to ask, " "What is the matter with the Brooklyn ? She 
must have plenty of water there." " Plenty and to spare. Ad- 
miral," the man replied. Alden had seen the Tecumseh go 
down, and the heavy line of torpedoes across the channel made 
him pause. The Brooklyn began to back ; the vessels in the 
rear, pressing on those in the van, soon created confusion, and 
disaster seemed imminent. " The batteries of our ships were 
almost silent," says an eye-witness, " while the whole of Mobile 
Point was a living flame." 

"What's the trouble?" was shouted through a trum- 
pet from the flag-ship to the Brooklyn. 

"Torpedoes!" was shouted back in reply. 

" Damn the torpedoes ! " said Farragut. " Four bells ! 



THE HARTFORD TAKES THE LEAD. 417 

Captain Drayton, go ahead ! Joiiett, full speed ! " And the 
Hartford passed the Brooklyn, assumed the head of the line, and 
led the fleet to victory. It was the one only way out of the 
difficulty, and any hesitation would have closed even this escape 
from a frightful disaster. Nor did the Admiral forget the poor 
fellows who were struggling in the water where the Tecumseh 
had gone down, but ordered Jouett to lower a boat and pick up 
the survivors. 

A Confederate officer who was stationed in the water bat- 
tery at Fort Morgan says the manoeuvring of the vessels at this 
critical juncture was a magnificent sight. At first they ap- 
peared to be in inextricable confusion, and at the mercy of their 
guns ; but when the Hartford dashed forward, they realized 
that a grand tactical movement had been accomplished. 

The Hartford was nearly a mile ahead before the line could 
be straightened ; but the vessels were soon able to pour in a 
storm of shell, shrapnel, and grape, that completely silenced the 
batteries ; not, however, before they had all suffered more or 
less. The Oneida, having the most exposed position, at the 
rear of the column, was severely handled. The wisdom of lash- 
ing the vessels two-and-two was now manifest ; for this vessel, 
though in a helpless condition, was easily towed along by her 
consort the Galena with the flood-tide. The Admiral's theory 
"that the safest way to prevent injury from an enemy is to 
strike hard yourself," was exemplified in his warning to his 
captains to run close to Fort Morgan, and use shell, shrapnel, 
and grape freely. It is said that the Richmond and Brooklyn 
were saved from destruction at the time the line was being 
straightened by the rapid broadsides of shrapnel which those 
ships poured into the water battery. The aim of the artillerists 
on shore was disconcerted by the dense smoke which enveloped 
the ships, and they were driven from their guns by the rapid 
firing. An officer who participated in the engagement remarks 
that it " was painfully apparent, judging from the number of 
shot that passed over the rail of my ship, that a few yards to 
the west would have increased the damage and casualties." 

As soon as the Hartford had crossed the torpedo-ground and 



418 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

was steaming rapidly up the channel, Buchanan on the Tennes- 
see saw the blue flag of Farragut. He made a dash to ram the 
flag-ship, but failed to do so, the ships merely exchanging shots. 
By this time the Brooklyn and Kichmond had passed safely 
over the obstructions, and were following in the wake of the 
Hartford. But the Tennessee now turned her attention to the 
Brooklyn, making apparently for her starboard bow ; but, when 
within a hundred yards of that ship, she starboarded her helm 
and passed within two hundred feet of her, pouring in a broad- 
side which perforated her sides through and through, doing 
great damage. Passing on, she attempted the same manoeuvre 
with the Richmond, the next in line, apparently first attempt- 
ing to ram and then sheering off. Captain Jenkins saw her ap- 
proaching, and placed marines on the forecastle with orders to 
fire into the advancing monster's ports whenever the iron shut- 
ters opened, at the same time giving orders to use solid shot in 
his heavy guns and aim at the Tennessee's water-line. The two 
vessels passed each other at their best speed in opposite direc- 
tions. Whether from the rapidity of the movement or the pre- 
caution taken by Captain Jenkins to disconcert the aim of the 
gunners, the Tennessee's shot passed over the Richmond. She 
also missed the Lackawanna ; but the fire from her heavy guns 
created sad havoc, while the shot from the Union fleet had 
failed to make any impression on her mailed sides. Strong, in 
the Monongahela, attempted to ram her in turn ; but she avoid- 
ed the blow, and the two vessels collided at an acute angle, the 
ram swinging alongside of the Monongahela's consort, the Ken- 
nebec, whose sharp cutwater sheared her barge in two. A shell 
from her gun exploded on the Kennebec's berth-deck, and for 
a moment it was supposed that she was on fire ; but, by the 
cool conduct of McCann and his officers, confidence was quickly 
restored. 

The ram next paid her compliments to the crippled Oneida, 
running under her stern and delivering two broadsides in rapid 
succession, destroying her boats and dismounting a 12-pound 
howitzer on the poop. Her gallant captain, MuUany, was se- 
verely wounded. 



CHASING THE ENEMY'S GUNBOATS. 419 

The Tennessee then returned to her anchorage under the 
guns of Fort Morgan. 

Farragut had turned his attention to the enemy's gunboats 
as soon as he was clear of the forts. Their raking fire had been 
a source of great annoyance, one shot alone, from the Selma, 
having killed ten men and wounded five. After the fleet had 
passed the obstructions, these vessels had continued the contest, 
keeping up with the leading shijDS and exchanging shots, thus 
separating themselves widely from the Tennessee. Soon the 
Gaines was in a sinking condition, and her commander ran her 
aground under the guns of Fort Morgan, where she was after- 
ward set on fire. A few minutes after her departure, the Selma 
and Morgan, seeing the hopelessness of the encounter, also re- 
treated, the former up the bay, and the latter down toward 
!N^avy Cove. It was about this time that Farragut made his 
signal, " Gunboats chase enemy's gunboats." He often men- 
tioned with enthusiasm the prompt " Ay, ay, sir ! " from Jou- 
ett, as he responded to the order, set his axe-men at work to 
cut the fastenings which confined the Metacomet to the Hart- 
ford, and was off in a moment. The Metacomet, being the 
fastest, engaged the Morgan ; but a thick squall of rain coming 
up obscured the combatants and stopped the firing. During 
this squall the Morgan, as was afterward learned, grounded 
upon a long spit which runs out from Navy Cove for about a 
mile. In the mean time the Metacomet, Port Royal, Kennebec, 
and Itasca had started after the Selma, and the Metacomet cap- 
tured her three or four miles up the bay. The Morgan backed 
off the shoal, and proceeded to Fort Morgan ; and that same 
night, under a starht sky. Captain Harrison made a successful 
and hazardous retreat up to Mobile, pursued and fired upon by 
several of our gunboats. 

The fleet now came to anchor about three miles up the bay, 
with anchors hove^ short, when the ram Tennessee was seen 
steaming directly for the flag-ship. Buchanan had anticipated 
the Union commander, for Farragut had intended to attack 
him the moment it was dark enough for the smoke to prevent 
Page, in the fort, from distinguishing friend from foe. He 



420 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

had made his plan to go in with the three monitors, himself on 
the Manhattan, and board her if feasible. But he now accepted 
the situation, and signaled the fleet to "attack the ram, not 
only with their guns, but bows on at full speed." 

The Monongahela was under way at the time, and Strong 
immediately dashed for the ram with full speed ; but the Ten- 
nessee paid no attention to it, merely putting her helm a-port, 
which caused the Monongahela to strike her obliquely. The 
ram also fired two shots at her antagonist, piercing her through 
and through, while the shot from the Monongahela rolled harm- 
lessly down its sloping sides. The Chickasaw also gave her 
one of her solid bolts, but this merely penetrated, without doing 
serious damage. The next vessel to bear down on her was the 
Lackawanna, and she seems to have suffered more than the 
ram, for her bow was stove in fully three feet above and five 
feet below the water-line, while the ram received but a slight 
shock, quickly righting and moving steadily for the Hartford. 
The Hartford now took the aggressive, and, following in the 
wake of the Lackawanna, struck the ram a fearful blow, and 
poured in a broadside, but it had no effect whatever. 

The ram had one great advantage — she was surrounded by 
enemies, and could fire continually, whereas the Union vessels 
had to use the utmost care not to fire into or collide with one 
another. An accident of this nature happened to the flag-ship 
as she was about to attack for the second time. She was run 
into by the Lackawanna and cut down nearly to the water's 
edge. 

But in the mean time the monitors Manhattan, Winnebago, 
and Chickasaw had been hammering away at the ram with their 
heavy shot, her steering apparatus and smoke-stack were shot 
away and her port shutters jammed, and one 15-inch shot had 
penetrated her armor. Her Admiral was wounded, and she 
showed her white flag and surrendered. 

This great victory cost the Union fleet three hundred and 
thirty-five men. Of the one hundred and thirty in the Tecum- 
seh, seventeen were saved and one hundred and thirteen 
drowned. The other casualties, fifty-two killed and one hun- 



THE ADMIRAL'S THANKS TO HIS MEK 421 

dred and seventy wounded, were distributed as follows : Hart- 
ford, twenty-five killed, twenty-eiglit wounded. Brooklyn, 
eleven killed, forty-three wounded. Lackawanna, four killed, 
thirty-five wounded. Oneida, eight killed, thirty wounded. 
Monongahela, six wounded. Metacomet, one killed, two wound- 
ed. Ossipee, one killed, seven wounded. Richmond, two 
slightly wounded. Galena, one wounded. Octorora, one killed, 
ten wounded. Kennebec, one killed, six wounded. 

I{jiowles, the old quartermaster, mentions that he saw the 
Admiral come on deck just as the poor fellows who had been 
killed were being laid out on the port side of the quarter-deck. 
He says, " It was the only time I ever saw the old gentleman 
cry, but the tears came in his eyes, like a little child." 

The losses in the rebel fleet were ten killed and sixteen 
wounded — confined to the Tennessee and Selma — and two hun- 
dred and eighty prisoners were taken. The loss in the forts is 
unknown. 

The next morning the Admiral published this General 
Order to the fleet : 

(General Order, No. 12.) 

'* United States Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
^'■Motile Bay^ August 6, I864. 

" The Admiral returns thanks to the officers and crews of 
the vessels of the fleet for their gallant conduct during the fight 
of yesterday. 

" It has never been his good fortune to see men do their 
duty with more courage and cheerfulness ; for, although they 
knew that the enemy was prepared with all devilish means for 
our destruction, and though they witnessed the almost instan- 
taneous annihilation of our gallant companions in the Tecum- 
seh by a torpedo, and the slaughter of their friends, messmates, 
and gunmates on our decks, still there were no evidences of 
hesitation in following their commander-in-chief through the 
line of torpedoes and obstructions, of which we knew nothing, 
except from the exaggerations of the enemy, who had given out 



422 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. 

' That we should all be blown up as certainly as we attempted 
to enter.' 

" For this noble and implicit confidence in their leader, he 
heartily thanks them. 

" D. G. Faeragut, 
" Eear-Admiral Commanding W. G. B. Squadron." 

Among the Admiral's notes I find the following memo- 
randum concerning the loss of the Tecumseh : " General Orders 
required the vessels to pass inside the buoys next to Fort Mor- 
gan. When the Tecumseh reached that point, it looked so close 
tliat poor Craven said to the pilot, ' The Admiral ordered me to 
go inside that buoy, but it must be a mistake.' He ran just his 
breadth of beam too far westward, struck a torpedo, and went 
down in two minutes. Alden saw the buoys ahead, and stopped 
his shij). This liked to have proved fatal to all of us. I saw 
the difiiculty, and ordered the Hartford ahead, and the fleet to 
follow. Allowing the Brooklyn to go ahead was a great error. 
It lost not only the Tecumseh but many valuable lives, by keep- 
ing us under the fire of the forts for thirty minutes ; whereas, 
had I led, as I intended to do, I would have gone inside the 
buoys, and all would have followed me. The officers and crews 
of all the ships did their duty like men. There was but one 
man who showed fear, and he was allowed to resign. This was 
the most desperate battle I ever fought since the days of the old 
Essex. It has been said that Buchanan was advised not to 
make his second attack, as we were all prisoners. Buck said, 
' Ko, I will be killed or taken prisoner, and now I am in the 
humor I will have it out at once.' " 

In the excitement of success, Farragut wrote : 

"Mobile Bat, August 5, I864. 
" The Almighty has smiled upon me once more. I am in 
Mobile Bay. The Tennessee and Buchanan are my prisoners. 
He has lost his leg. It was a hard fight, but Buck met his fate 
manfully. After we passed the forts, he came up in the ram to 
attack me. I made at him, and ran him down, making all the 



SUERENDER OF FORT GAINES. 423 

otliers do the same. "We butted and shot at him until he sur- 
rendered. The Sehna was annoying us, but I sent Jouett 
(Metacomet) after him, who in a short time brought his colors 
down. But, sad to say, the Tecumseh was sunk by a torpedo, 
and poor Craven with his gallant crew went to the bottom. 
I have lost a number of fine fellows, more than ever before. 
Lieutenant Adams was wounded. Mr. Heginbotham will prob- 
ably lose a leg. [He died.] Johnston, who married Miss P., 
commanded the Tennessee. They made a gallant fight, but it 
was all to no jDurpose. 

" My ship is greatly cut up — twenty-five killed, and twenty- 
eight wounded. I escaped, thank God ! without a scratch. 

" God bless you, and make you as thankful for this victory 

as I am. 

" D. G. Faeragut." 

^^ August 8th. 
" As I told you on the 5th, it pleased God to grant me one 
of the hardest earned victories of my life, and one momentous 
to the country, over the rebel ram Tennessee. I always said I 
was the proper man to fight her, because I was one of those who 
believed I could do it successfully. I was certainly honest in 
my convictions and determined in my will, but I did not know 
how formidable the Tennessee was. On the 6th, Fort Powell 
was evacuated and blown up. This morning Gaines surren- 
dered to the Navy ; but I would not neglect the Army, so had 
General Granger in to sign the articles of capitulation with me. 
Three rousing cheers went up from the fleet as I announced by 

signal, ' Our flag waves over Gaines.' 

« D. G. Fareagut." 

Among the incidents of this famous battle, none that I 
have been enabled to gather shows a greater display of heroism 
than the effort of Acting Ensign (now Lieutenant-Commander) 
Henry C. ISTields to rescue the survivors of the Tecumseh. 
Commodore Parker says : " Starting from the port quarter of the 
Metacomet, and steering the boat himself, this mere boy pulled 
directly under the battery of the Hartford, and around the 



424 THE LITE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

Brooklyn, to within a few hundred yards of the fort, exposed 
to the fire of both friends and foes. After he had gone a httle 
distance from his vessel, he seemed suddenly to reflect that he 
had no flag flying, when he dropped the yoke-ropes, picked up 
a small ensign from the bottom of the boat, and, unfurling it 
from its staff, which he shipped in a socket made for it in the 
stem-sheets, he threw it full to the breeze, amid the loud cheers 
of his men. ' I can scarcely describe,' says an officer of the Ten- 
nessee, ' how I felt at witnessing this most gallant act. The 
muzzle of our gun was slowly raised, and the bolt intended for 
the Tecumseh flew harmlessly over the heads of that glorious 
boat's crew, far down in the line of our foes.' After saving 
Ensign Zetlich, eight men, and the pilot, l^ields turned, and 
pulling for the fleet, succeeded in reaching the Oneida, where 
he remained until the close of the action." 

A similar act of gallantry bears especial mention. 

Just after the fleet came to anchor, the quartermaster re- 
ported the Loyall coming alongside. This steam barge, armed 
with a brass howitzer, and called after the Admiral's son, had 
followed the vessels into the bay, on the port side of the Semi- 
nole. Fleet-Surgeon Palmer, having attended to the wounded 
of the flag-ship, was desirous of visiting the other vessels and 
assisting the surgeons, and for this purpose the Loyall was 
placed at his disposal by the Admiral. He had just shoved off 
on his mission of mercy when the Tennessee was seen steaming 
for the Hartford. The Admiral beckoned to Palmer, just be- 
fore he made his general signals, and desired him to " go to all 
the monitors, and tell them to attack that Tennessee." The 
monitors were some distance apart, but our little boat was fast, 
and soon conveyed orders to them all. 

At a later date, in reference to a bill before Congress for the 
" reorganization of the medical corps of the !Navy," the Ad- 
miral alludes to this service of Surgeon-General Palmer in a 
letter addressed to that offijcer : 

" In time of war all persons should be available for duty, 
only retaining the relative rank in their own corps. Without 



INCIDENTS. 425 

this clause, tlie services of some of the most efficient medical 
officers might be lost to the government, where most essential. 
I am aware that such might not be the case, as they would no 
doubt volunteer, but while legislating it is best to provide for 
it on the face of the bill ; although I am happy to say that from 
my own experience war is the time when I have always found 
the medical officers ready and willing to do their duty with- 
out regard to personal risk, and it gives me special pleasure 
to refer to your case in Mobile Bay, where you^ in the little 
Loyall, carried my orders round the fleet for the ships to run 
down the ram Tennessee, and did it with cheerfulness and 
alacrity." 

When the Tecumseh was going down. Commander Craven 
and his pilot, John Collins, met at the foot of the ladder lead- 
ing to the top of the turret. Craven, knowing that it was 
through no fault of the pilot, but by his own command, that 
the fatal change in her course had been made, stepped back, 
saying, "After you, pilot." "There was nothing after me," 
said Mr. Collins in telling the story ; " for when I reached the 
top round of the ladder, the vessel seemed to drop from under 
me." 

Among those who went down with the gallant Craven was 
Chief-Engineer C. Farron, who, though an invalid, went on 
board out of his bed from the hospital at Pensacola. No no- 
bler heroism was displayed than by this officer. 

To show the effect of the heavy fire from the enemy's gun- 
boats — the starboard steerage of the Hartford was literally 
knocked into small fragments, and a heavy oak stanchion, 
broken in two in the middle, was carried aft into the ward- 
room. 

Ensign Whiting, who commanded the gun on the forecastle, 
had his piece disabled and his crew swept away. Numerous in- 
stances of the same nature occurred in other vessels of the fleet. 

When a shot penetrated the starboard boiler of the Oneida, 
causing the instant scalding of thirteen men, one gun's crew 
wavered for a moment as the steam rushed out, but at Mul- 



426 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKEAGUT. 

lany's order, " Back to your quarters, men ! " they instantly re- 
turned to their gun. Captain Mullany soon after lost his arm 
and received six other wounds. 

The romantic incident of the Admiral's being lashed to the 
mast has led to considerable controversy.* The difference of 
opinion resulted from the fact that Farragut did not remain 
long in any one position. While the fleet was entering the bay, 
he was in the jport main rigging^ where he was secured by the 
signal quartermaster, as before mentioned. But when the ram 
made her attack, he had returned to the deck, and when the 
Hartford was about to ram the Tennessee, he took up his posi- 
tion in the port mizzen rigging, where, as his Flag-Lieutenant 
(now Commander) J. C. Watson says, " I secured him by a lash- 
ing passed with my own hands, having first begged him not to 
stand in such an exposed place." It was no uncommon thing 
for him to show activity of this kind, and the sensible precau- 
tion suggested by his fleet-captain, which he adopted, was an 
afterthought. 

When the Lackawanna ran into the Hartford, the Admiral 
was standing aft on the poop-deck. In a moment he was climb- 
ing over the side to see the extent of the damage. " Immedi- 
ately," says Captain Drayton, " there was a general cry all round, 
' Get the Admiral out of the ship ! ' and the whole interest of 
every one near was, that he should be in a place of safety. Of 
course, it was a mere sudden impulse, for an instant's thought 
would have satisfied any one that he was not the man to look out 
for himself. The Admiral jumped outside to see what injury had 
been done, and, finding that we should float, ordered me to keep 
on with all speed and strike the enemy's ram again. But just 
before we came up with her she showed the white flag. What 
touched me, though, was the satisfaction that pervaded the 
crowd around me at the supposed safety of the Admiral. The 
love of officers and crew for the Admiral it would be difficult 

* This discussion arose on the exhibition of a picture by William Page — a full- 
length portrait of the Admiral at the battle of Mobile, which represents him as 
lashed in the futtock shrouds. The picture was purchased by a committee in 18V1, 
and presented to the Emperor of Russia. 



INCIDENTS. 427 

better to illustrate than by showing, as I have, that when they 
thought themselves in danger they thought only of him." 

At my earnest solicitation, Surgeon-General Palmer has 
furnished me with an extract from his private journal, describ- 
ing his interview with Admiral Buchanan : 

" The Kichmond waved to me as I passed in the Loyall, and 
told me that Admiral Farragut had partly signaled for me to 
return, which I did immediately. "When I got near enough to 
the Hartford, the Admiral himself hailed, and directed me to 
go aboard the captured ram and look after Admiral Buchanan, 
who was wounded. It was difficult even from a boat to get on 
board the Tennessee, and I had to make a long leap, assisted 
by a strong man's hand. I scrambled literally through the iron 
port, and threaded my way among the piles of confusion to a 
ladder, by which I mounted to where Admiral Buchanan was 
lying in a place like the top of a truncated pyramid. Somebody 
announced me,, and he answered (tone polite, but savage), 'I 
know Dr. Palmer ' ; but he gave me his hand. I told him I 
was sorry to see him so badly hurt, but that I should be glad to 
know his wishes. He answered, ' I only wish to be treated 
kindly as a prisoner of w^ar.' My reply was, ' Admiral Buchanan, 
you know perfectly well you will be treated kindly.' Then he 
said, ' I am a Southern man, and an enemy, and a rebel.' I felt 
a little offended at his tone, but rejoined carefully that he was 
at that moment a wounded person and disabled, and that I 
would engage to have his wishes fulfilled. As to the present 
disposal of his person, that Admiral Farragut would take him 
aboard the Hartford, or send him to any other ship he might 
prefer. He said he didn't pretend to be Admiral Farragut's 
friend, and had no right to ask favors of him, but that he would 
be satisfied with any decision that might be come to. Dr. Con- 
rad, lately an assistant surgeon in our navy, told me he was 
fleet-surgeon, and desired to accompany Buchanan wherever he 
might go.* I promised that he should, and returned to the 

* There is no question that Dr. Palmer saved Admiral Buchanan's leg, if not hia 
life. It had been proposed by the Confederate fleet-surgeon to resort to amputa- 
28 



428 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

Hartford, and reported to Admiral Farragut circumstantially. 
TKis generous man seemed liurt at Buchanan's irritated feeling, 
and said lie (Buchanan) had formerly professed friendship for 
him. I saw there must be some embarrassment in bringing 
them together, and therefore proposed that I should have a 
steamer to take all the wounded to Pensacola, and another one 
to send all ordinary invalids to !N^ew Orleans." 

The following is the Admiral's detailed report of the battle 
of Mobile Bay : 

" United States Flag-Ship Haetfoed, 
'■'MoUle Bay, August 12, I864. 

" Sir : I had the honor to forward to the Department, on 
the evening of the 5th instant, a report of my entree into Mobile 
Bay, on the morning of that day, which, though brief, contained 
all the principal facts of the attack. 

" Notwithstanding the loss of life, particularly on this ship, 
and the terrible disaster to the Tecumseh, the result of the fight 
was a glorious victory, and I have reason to feel proud of the 
ofiicers, seamen, and marines of the squadron under my com- 
mand, for it has never fallen to the lot of an officer to be thus 
situated and thus sustained. 

" Regular discipline will bring men to any amount of en- 
durance, but there is a natural fear of hidden dangers, particu- 
larly when so awfully destructive of human life as the torpedo, 
which requires more than discipline to overcome. 

" Preliminary to a report of the action of the 5th, I desire 
to call the attention of the Department to the previous steps 
taken in consultation with Generals Canby and Granger. On 
the 8th of July I had an interview with these officers on board 
the Hartford, on the subject of an attack upon Ports Morgan 
and Gaines, at which it was agreed that General Canby would 
send all the troops he could spare to cooperate with the fleet. 
Circumstances soon obliged General Canby to inform me that 

tion, but upon examination Dr. Palmer declined to have the operation performed, 
and for his skillful management of the case received grateful acknowledgments in 
after life from Buchanan. 



DETAILED EEPORT OF THE MOBILE BATTLE. 429 

he could not dispatcli a sufficient number to invest both forts ; 
and, in reply, I suggested that Gaines should be first invested, 
engaging to have a force in the Sound ready to protect the land- 
ing of the army on Dauphin Island, in the rear of that fort, 
and I assigned Lieutenant-Commander De Krafft, of the Cone- 
maugh, to that duty. 

" On the 1st instant General Granger visited me again on 
the Hartford. In the mean time the Tecumseh had arrived at 
Pensacola, and Captain Craven had informed me that he would 
be ready in four days for any service. We therefore fixed upon 
the 4th of August as the day for the landing of the troops and 
my entrance into the bay ; but, owing to delays mentioned in 
Captain Jenkins's communication to me, the Tecumseh was not 
ready. General Granger, however, to my mortification, was up 
to time, and the troops actually landed on Dauphin Island. 

" As subsequent events proved, the delay turned to our ad- 
vantage, as the rebels were busily engaged during the 4th in 
throwing troops and supplies into Fort Gaines, all of which 
were captured a few days afterward. 

"The Tecumseh arrived on the evening of the 4th, and, 
everything being propitious, I proceeded to the attack on the 
following morning. 

" As mentioned in my previous dispatch, the vessels outside 
the bar, which were designed to participate in the engagement, 
were all under way by forty minutes past five in the morning, 
in the following order, two abreast, and lashed together : Brook- 
lyn, Captain James Alden, with the Octorora, Lieutenant-Com- 
mander C. H, Green, on the port side ; Hartford, Captain Per- 
cival Drayton, with the Metacomet, Lieutenant-Commander J. 
E. Jouett ; Kichmond, Captain T. A. Jenkins, with the Port 
Royal, Lieutenant-Commander B. Gherardi ; Lackawanna, Cap- 
tain J. B. Marchand, with the Seminole, Commander E. Don- 
aldson ; Monongahela, Commander J. H. Strong, with the Ken- 
nebec, Lieutenant-Commander "W". P. McCann ; Ossipee, Com- 
mander "W". E. Le Boy, with the Itasca, Lieutenant-Commander 
George Brown ; Oneida, Commander J. R. M. Mullany, with 
the Galena, Lieutenant-Commander C. H. Wells. The iron- 



430 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGCJT. 

clads — Tecumseli, Commander T. A, M. Craven; Manhattan, 
Commander J. W. A. Nicliolson ; "Winnebago, Commander T. 
H. Stevens ; and Chickasaw, Lieutenant-Commander G. H. Per- 
kins — were already inside the bar, and had been ordered to take 
up their positions on the starboard side of the wooden ships, or 
between them and Fort Morgan, for the purpose of keeping 
down the fire from the water battery and the parapet guns of 
the fort, as well as to attack the ram Tennessee as soon as the 
fort was passed. 

" It was only at the urgent request of the captains and com- 
manding officers that I yielded to the Brooklyn's being the lead- 
ing ship of the line, as she had four chase-guns and an inge- 
nious arrangement for picking up torpedoes, and because, in 
their judgment, the flag-ship ought not to be too much ex- 
posed. This I believe to be an error ; for, apart from the fact 
that exposure is one of the penalties of rank in the l^avy, it 
will always be the aim of the enemy to destroy the flag-ship, 
and, as will appear in the sequel, such attempt was very per- 
sistently made, but Providence did not permit it to be suc- 
cessful. 

"The attacking fleet steamed steadily up the main ship- 
channel, the Tecumseh firing the first shot at forty-seven min- 
utes past six o'clock. At six minutes past seven the fort opened 
upon us, and was replied to by a gun from the Brooklyn, and 
immediately after the action became general. 

" It was soon apparent that there was some difficulty ahead. 
The Brooklyn, for some cause which I did not then clearly 
understand, but which has since been explained by Captain 
Alden in his report, arrested the advance of the whole fleet, 
while, at the same time, the guns of the fort were playing with 
great effect upon that vessel and the Hartford. A moment 
after I saw the Tecumseh, struck by a torpedo, disappear almost 
instantaneously beneath the waves, carrying with her her gal- 
lant commander and nearly all her crew. I determined at once, 
as I had originally intended, to take the lead ; and, after ordering 
the Metacomet to send a boat to save, if possible, any of the 
perishing crew, I dashed ahead with the Hartford, and the ships 



DETAILED REPOET OF THE MOBILE BATTLE. 431 

followed on, their officers believing that they were going to a 
noble death with their commander-in-chief. 

" I steamed through between the buoys, where the torpedoes 
were supposed to have been sunk. These buoys had been pre- 
viously examined by my flag-lieutenant, J, Crittenden Watson, 
in several nightly reconnoissances. Though he had not been 
able to discover the sunken torpedoes, yet we had been assured, 
by refugees, deserters, and others, of their existence ; but, be- 
lieving that, from their having been some time in the water, 
they were probably innocuous, I determined to take the chance 
of their explosion. 

" From the moment I turned northward, to clear the Middle 
Ground, we were enabled to keep such a broadside fire upon the 
batteries of Fort Morgan, that their guns did us comparatively 
little injury. 

" Just after we passed the fort, which was about ten minutes 
before eight o'clock, the ram Tennessee dashed out at this ship, 
as had been expected, and in anticipation of which I had ordered 
the monitors on our starboard side. I took no further notice of 
her than to return her fire. 

" The rebel gunboats Morgan, Gaines, and Selma were ahead ; 
and the latter particularly annoyed us with a raking fire, which 
our guns could not return. At two minutes after eight o'clock 
I ordered the Metacomet to cast off and go in pursuit of the 
Selma. Captain Jouett was after her in a moment, and in an 
hour's time he had her as a prize. She was commanded by P. 
Y. Murphy, formerly of the United States Navy. He was 
wounded in the wrist, his executive officer, Lieutenant Com- 
stock, and eight of the crew killed, and seven or eight wounded. 
Lieutenant-Commander Jouett's conduct during the whole affair 
commands my warmest commendations. The Morgan and 
Gaines succeeded in escaping under the protection of the guns 
of Fort Morgan, which would have been prevented had the 
other gunboats been as prompt in their movements as the Met- 
acomet ; the want of pilots, however, I believe, was the prin- 
cipal difficulty. The Gaines was so injured by our fire that 
she had to be run ashore, where she was subsequently destroyed ; 



432 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. 

but tlie Morgan escaped to Mobile during tbe night, though, she 
was chased and fired upon by our cruisers. 

" Having passed the forts and dispersed the enemy's gun- 
boats, I had ordered most of the vessels to anchor, when I per- 
ceived the ram Tennessee standing up for this ship. This was 
at forty-five minutes past eight. I was not long in compre- 
hending Buchanan's intentions to be the destruction of the flag- 
ship. The monitors, and such of the wooden vessels as I 
thought best adapted for the purpose, were immediately ordered 
to attack the ram, not only with their guns, but bows on at 
full speed ; and then began one of the fiercest naval combats on 
record. 

" The Monongahela, Commander Strong, was the first vessel 
that struck her, and in doing so carried away her own iron -prow, 
together with the cutwater, without apparently doing her ad- 
versary much injury. The Lackawanna, Captain Marchand, was 
the next vessel to strike her, which she did at full speed ; but 
though her stern was cut and crushed to the plank-ends for 
the distance of three feet above the water's edge to five feet 
below, the only perceptible eflfect on the ram was to give her 
a heavy list. 

" The Hartford was the third vessel which struck her, but, 
as the Tennessee quickly shifted her helm, the blow was a glanc- 
ing one, and, as she rasped along our side, we poured our whole 
port broadside of nine-inch solid shot within ten feet of her 
casemate. 

" The monitors worked slowly, but delivered their fire as op- 
portunity offered. The Chickasaw succeeded in getting under 
her stern, and a fifteen-inch shot from the Manhattan broke 
through her iron plating and heavy wooden backing, though the 
missile itself did not enter the vessel. 

"Immediately after the collision with the flag-ship, I di- 
rected Captain Drayton to bear down for the ram again. 
He was doing so at full speed, when, unfortunately, the Lacka- 
wanna ran into the Hartford just forward of the mizzen-mast, 
cutting her down to within two feet of the water's edge. 
We soon got clear again, however, and were fast approaching 



DETAILED REPORT OF THE MOBILE BATTLE. 433 

our adversary, when she struck her colors and ran up the 
"white flag. 

" She was at this time sore beset ; the Chickasaw was pound- 
ing away at her stem, the Ossipee was approaching her at full 
speed, and the Monongahela, Lackawanna, and this ship were 
bearing down upon her, determined upon her destruction. Her 
smoke-stack had been shot away, her steering-chains were gone, 
compelling a resort to her relieving tackles, and several of her 
port-shutters were jammed. Indeed, from the time the Hart- 
ford struck her until her surrender, she never fired a gun. As 
the Ossipee, Commander Le Roy, was about to strike her, she 
hoisted the white flag, and that vessel immediately stopped her 
engine, though not in time to avoid a glancing blow. 

" During this contest with the rebel gunboats and the ram 
Tennessee, which terminated in her surrender at ten o'clock, 
we lost many more men than from the fire of the batteries of 
Fort Morgan. 

" Admiral Buchanan was wounded in the leg ; two or three 
of his men were killed, and five or six wounded. Commander 
Johnston, formerly of the United States Navy, was in com- 
mand of the Tennessee, and came on board the flag-ship to sur- 
render his sword, and that of Admiral Buchanan. The surgeon. 
Dr. Conrad, came with him, stated the condition of the Ad- 
miral, and wished to know what was to be done with him. 
Fleet-Surgeon Palmer, who was on board the Hartford during 
the action, commiserating the sufferings of the wounded, sug- 
gested that those of both sides be sent to Pensacola, where they, 
could be properly cared for. I therefore addressed a note to 
Brigadier-General R. L. Page, commanding Fort Morgan, in- 
forming him that Admiral Buchanan and others of the Tennes- 
see had been wounded, and desiring to know whether he would 
permit one of our vessels, under a flag of truce, to convey them, 
with or without our wounded, to Pensacola, on the understand- 
ing that the vessel should take out none but the wounded, and 
bring nothing back that she did not take out. This was ac- 
ceded to by General Page, and the Metacomet proceeded on 
this mission of humanity. 



434 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" I inclose herewitli the correspondence witli tliat officer. I 
forward also the reports of the commanding officers of the ves- 
sels that participated in the action, who wiU. no doubt call 
attention to the conduct of such individuals as most distin- 
guished themselves. 

" As I had an elevated positioil in the main rigging near the 
top, I was able to overlook not only the deck of the Hartford, 
but the other vessels of the fleet. I witnessed the terrible ef- 
fects of the enemy's shot, and the good conduct of the men at 
their guns, and although no doubt their hearts sickened, as mine 
did, when their shipmates were struck down beside them, yet 
there was not a moment's hesitation to lay their comrades aside, 
and spring again to their deadly work. 

" Our little consort, the Metacomet, was also under my im- 
mediate eye during the whole action up to the moment I or- 
dered her to cast off in pursuit of the Selma. The coolness and 
promptness of Lieutenant-Commander Jouett throughout merit 
high praise ; his whole conduct was worthy of his reputation. 

" In this connection I must not omit to call the attention of 
the Department to the conduct of Acting Ensign Henry C. 
Neilds, of the Metacomet, who had charge of the boat sent 
from that vessel when the Tecumseh sank. He took her in 
under one of the most galling fires I ever saw, and succeeded 
in rescuing from death ten of the crew, within six hundred 
yards of the fort. I would respectfully recommend his ad- 
vancement. 

" The commanding officers of all the vessels that took part 
in the action deserve my warmest commendations, not only for 
the untiring zeal with which they had prepared their ships for 
the contest, but for their skill and daring in carrying out my 
orders during the engagement. "With the exception of the 
momentary arrest of the fleet when the Hartford passed ahead, 
to which I have already adverted, the order of battle was pre- 
served, and the ships followed each other in close order past the 
batteries of Fort Morgan, and in comparative safety too, with 
the exception of the Oneida. Her boilers were penetrated by 
a shot from the fort, which completely disabled her ; but her 



DETAILED EEPOKT OF THE MOBILE BATTLi; 435 

consort, tlie Galena, firmlj fastened to her side, broiiglit her 
safely through, showing clearly the wisdom of the precaution of 
carrying the vessels in two abreast. Commander Mullany, who 
had solicited eagerly to take part in the action, was severely 
wounded, losing his left arm. 

" In the encounter with the ram the commanding officers 
obeyed with alacrity the order to run her down, and without 
hesitation exposed their ships to destruction, to destroy the 
enemy. 

" Our iron-clads, from their slow speed and bad steering, 
had some difficulty in getting into and maintaining their posi- 
tion in line as we passed the fort, and, in the subsequent en- 
counter with the Tennessee, from the same causes were not as 
effective as could have been desired ; but I can not give too 
much praise to Lieutenant-Commander Perkins, who, though 
he had orders from the Department to return E'orth, volun- 
teered to take command of the Chickasaw, and did his duty 
nobly. 

" The Winnebago was commanded by Commander T. H. 
Stevens, who volunteered for that position. His vessel steers 
very badly, and neither of his turrets will work, which com- 
pelled him to turn his vessel every time to get a shot, so that 
he could not fire very often, but he did the best he could under 
the circumstances. 

" The Manhattan appeared to work well, though she moved 
slowly. Commander Nicholson delivered his fire deliberately, 
and, as before stated, with one of his fifteen-inch shot broke 
through the armor. of the Tennessee, with its wooden backing, 
though the shot itself did not enter the vessel, l^o other shot 
broke through the armor, though many of her plates were 
started, and several of her port-shutters jammed, by the fire from 
the different ships. 

" The Hartford, my flag-ship, was commanded by Captain 
Percival Drayton, who exhibited throughout that coolness and 
ability for which he has been long known to his brother officers. 
But I must speak of that officer in a double capacity. He is 
the fleet-captain of my squadron, and one of more determined 



436 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

energy, imtiring devotion to duty, and zeal for the service, tem- 
pered by great calmness, I do not think adorns any navy. I 
desire to call your attention to this officer, though well aware 
that, in thus speaking of his high qualities, I am only communi- 
cating officially to the Department that which it knew full well 
before. To him, and to my staff in their respective positions, 
I am indebted for the detail of my fleet. 

" Lieutenant J. Crittenden Watson, my flag-lieutenant, has 
been brought to your notice in former dispatches. During the 
action he was on the poop, attending to the signals, and per- 
formed his duties, as might be expected, thoroughly. He is a 
scion worthy the noble stock he sprang from, and I commend 
him to your attention. 

" My secretary, Mr. McKinley, and Acting Ensign H. H. 
Brownell, were also on the poop, the latter taking notes of the 
action, a duty which he performed with coolness and accuracy. 

" Two other acting ensigns of my staff, Mr. Bogart and Mr. 
Heginbotham, were on duty in the powder division, and, as the 
reports will show, exhibited zeal and ability. The latter, I 
regret to add, was severely wounded by a raking shot from the 
Tennessee when we collided with that vessel, and died a few 
hours after. Mr. Heginbotham was a young married man, and 
has left a widow and one child, whom I commend to the kind- 
ness of the Department. 

" Lieutenant A. R. Yates, of the Augusta, acted as an addi- 
tional aid to me on board the Hartford, and was very efficient 
in the transmission of orders, I have given him the command 
temporarily of the captured steamer Selma. . 

" The last of my staff to whom I would call the attention of 
the Department is not the least in importance. I mean Pilot 
Martin Freeman. He has been my great reliance in all difficul- 
ties in his line of duty. During the action he was in the main- 
top, piloting the ships into the bay. He was cool and brave 
throughout, never losing his self-possession. This man was cap- 
tured early in the war in a fine fishing-smack which he owned, 
and though he protested that he had no interest in the war, and 
only asked for the privilege of fishing for the fleet, yet his ser- 



DETAILED KEPORT OF THE MOBILE BATTLE. 437 

vices were too valuable to the captors as a pilot not to be 
secured. He was appointed a first-class pilot, and has served us 
with zeal and fidelity, and has lost his vessel, which went to 
pieces on Ship Island. I commend him to the Department. 

" It gives me pleasure to refer to several officers who volun- 
teered to take any situation where they might be useful, some 
of whom were on their way North, either by orders of the De- 
partment or condemned by medical survey. The reports of the 
different commanders will show how they conducted themselves. 
I have already mentioned Lieutenant-Commander Perkins, of the 
Chickasaw, and Lieutenant Yates, of the Augusta, Acting vol- 
unteer Lieutenant William Hamilton, late commanding officer of 
the Augusta Dinsmore, had been invalided by medical survey, 
but he eagerly offered his services on board the iron-clad Chick- 
asaw, having had much experience in our monitors. Acting vol- 
unteer Lieutenant P. Giraud, another experienced officer in iron- 
clads, asked to go in on one of these vessels ; but, as they were all 
well supplied witli officers, I permitted him to go in on the Ossi- 
pee, under Commander Le Roy. After the action he was given 
temporary charge of the ram Tennessee. 

" Before closing this report, there is one other officer of my 
squadron of whom I feel bound to speak — Captain T. A. Jen- 
kins, of the Richmond, who was formerly my chief of staff : 
not because of his having held that position, but because he 
never forgets to do his duty to the Government, and takes now 
the same interest in the fleet as when he stood in that relation 
to me. He is also the commanding officer of the second divi- 
sion of my squadron, and, as such, has shown ability and the 
most untiring zeal. He carries out the spirit of one of Lord 
Colli ngwood's best sayings : ' Not to be afraid of doing too 
much ; those who are, seldom do as much as they ought.' 
When in Pensacola, he spent days on the bar, placing the 
buoys in the best position, was always looking after the inter- 
ests of the service, and keeping the vessels from being detained 
one moment longer in port than was necessary. The gallant 
Craven told me, only the night before the action in which he 
lost his life : ' I regret, Admiral, that I have detained you ; but. 



438 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

had it not been for Captain Jenkins, God knows when I should 
have been here. When your order came, I had not received 
an ounce of coah' I feel I should not be doing my duty did 
I not call the attention of the Department to an officer who 
has performed all his various duties with so much zeal and 
fidelity. 

" Yery respectfully, your obedient servant, 

" D. G. Fakragut, 
" Commanding W. G. Blockading Squadron. 
" Hon. Gideon Welles, 

" Secretary of the Navy." 

On receiving the Admiral's announcement of the battle and 
its results, Secretary Welles wrote him the following graceful 
letter of congratulation : 

" Navy Department, 
" Washington, Atigust 15, I864. 

" SiE : Your dispatch of the 5th instant, stating that you 
had on the morning of that day entered Mobile Bay, passing 
between Forts Morgan and Gaines, and encountering and over- 
coming the rebel fleet, I had the satisfaction to receive this day. 
Some preliminary account of your operations had previously 
reached us through rebel channels. 

" Again it is my pleasure and my duty to congratulate you 
and your brave associates on an achievement unequaled in our 
service by any other commander, and only surpassed by that 
unparalleled naval triumph of the squadron under your com- 
mand in the spring of 1862, when, proceeding up the Missis- 
sippi, you passed Forts Jackson and St. Philip, and, overcoming 
all obstructions, captured New Orleans and restored unobstruct- 
ed navigation to the commercial emporium of the great central 
valley of the Union. 

" The bay of Mobile was not only fortified and guarded by 
forts and batteries on shore and by submerged obstructions, but 
the rebels had also collected there a formidable fleet commanded 
by their highest naval officer, a former captain in the Union 



CONGRATULATIONS. 439 

ItTavy, who, false to the Government and the Union, had de- 
serted his country in the hour of peril, and leveled his guns 
against the flag which it was his duty to have defended. 

" The possession of Mobile Bay, which you have acquired, 
will close the illicit traffic which has been carried on by running 
the blockade in that part of the Gulf, and gives point and value 
to the success you have achieved. 

" Great results in war are seldom obtained without great 
risks, and it was not expected that the possession of the harbor 
of Mobile would be secured without disaster. The loss of the 
gallant Craven and his brave companions, with the Tecumseh, 
a vessel that was invulnerable to the guns of Fort Morgan, by 
a concealed torpedo, was a casualty against which no human 
foresight could guard. While the nation awards cheerful hon- 
ors to the living, she will ever hold in grateful remembrance 
the memory of the gallant and lamented dead, who periled their 
lives for their country, and died in her cause. 

" To you and the brave officers and sailors of your squadron 
who participated in this great achievement, the Department 
tenders its thanks and those of the Government and country. 
" "Very respectfully, 

" Gideon "Welles, 

" Secretary of the Kavy. 
*' Eear- Admiral David G. Faeeagttt, 

" Commanding "Western Gulf Blockading Squadron, 
Mobile Bay." 

General Butler sent the following characteristic letter : 

" Headquarters Department of Virgiota and North Carolina, 

"In the Field, August 11, I864. 
" My Dear Adivhral : I had the exquisite gratification of 
telegraphing from the Kichmond papers the first account of 
your most glorious success, and the noble exploit of your fleet. 
I need not use the language of compliment where none is need- 
ed. It is all said in one word : It was like you. Reminding 
me so much of the passage of the Mississippi forts, was it won- 
derful that, boy-Hke, in my tent all alone, when the rebel journal 



440 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

was brouglit in and the official telegram read that you and sev- 
enteen of your vessels had passed Fort Morgan, I called out, 
' Three cheers for Farragut ' ? They were given with a mil 
that brought in my staff and orderlies, who thought their Gen- 
eral had gone crazy, perhaps from sunstroke, whereas it was 
only a stroke of good luck, of high daring and noble emprise, 
quite as brilliant as anything the sun could do. 

" Let me assure you, Admiral, that those cheers, the first 
given on the occasion in the loyal Korth, are not done ringing 
yet; but every hill-top is resounding with them, as they are 
caught up from hamlet to hamlet, and city to city, of a grateful 
nation. I speak no language of hyperbole, and only the words 
of sincere admiration, when I say I envy you, alone of all men, 
for the place you have in the hearts of your countrymen, a 
feeling, however, which will not prevent me from at all times 
adding my mite to the tribute, and now, as always, subscribing 
myself, 

" Most truly yours, 

" Benjamik F. Butlek. 

" Rear- Admiral Faeeagtjt." 

I can not refrain from inserting another letter, from an old 
naval friend, which I know was deeply appreciated : 

" My Dear Admieal : When I heard of your glorious suc- 
cess at Mobile, I was promj^ted to write and congratulate you, 
and began a letter, but tore it up, as I sometimes do, in disgust. 
I feel now that I would, were I in your situation, like to be 
greeted on my return by my naval friends, and be told by them 
that they rejoiced in my glory and my success. I beheve there 
are few if any who do not congratulate you in their hearts most 
sincerely ; but I desire to put it on record in a friendly way 
that I am glad of your success, both because I know you de- 
serve it, and because I feel that you are better able to bear your 
honors meekly than some who might have more luck but have 
less ballast. May God continue you His blessing. 

" Andeew H. Hajbwood." 



THE BAT FIGHT— BKOWNELL'S POEM. 4^1 

Henrj Howard Brownell, who was an Acting Ensign on 
the Hartford, made this battle the subject of a poem which 
speedily became famous : 



THE BAY FIGHT. 

Three days through sapphire seas we sailed, 
The steady Trade blew strong and free. 

The Northern Light his banners paled, 

The Ocean Stream our channels wet, 
We rounded low Canaveral's lee. 

And passed the isles of emerald set 
In blue Bahama's turquoise sea. 

By reef and shoal obscurely mapped. 
And hauntings of the gray sea- wolf, 

The palmy Western Key lay lapped 
In the warm washing of the Gulf. 

But weary to the hearts of all 

The burning glare, the barren reach 
Of Santa Rosa's withered beach, 

And Pensacola's ruined wall. 

And weary was the long patrol. 

The thousand miles of shapeless strand. 

From Brazos to San Bias that roll 
Their di-ifting dunes of desert sand. 

Yet, coastwise as we cruised or lay. 
The land-breeze still at nightfall bore, 

By beach and fortress-guarded bay. 
Sweet odors from the enemy's shore, 

Fresh from the forest solitudes. 
Unchallenged of his sentry lines — 

The bursting of his cypress buds. 

And the warm fragrance of his pines. 



442 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

Ah, never braver bark and crew, 
Nor bolder Flag a foe to dare, 

Had left a wake on ocean blue 

Since Lion-Heart sailed Trenc-le-mer ! 

But little gain by that dark ground 
Was ours, save, sometime, freer breath 

For friend or brother strangely found, 
'Scaped from the drear domain of death. 

And little venture for the bold. 
Or laurel for our valiant Chief, 
Save some blockaded British thief. 

Full fraught with murder in his hold. 

Caught unawares at ebb or flood — 
Or dull bombardment, day by day, 
With fort and earth- work, far away. 

Low couched in sullen leagues of mud. 

A weary time, — but to the strong 
The day at last, as ever, came ; 

And the volcano, laid so long. 

Leaped forth in thunder and in flame ! 

" Man your starboard battery ! " 

Kimberly shouted — 
The ship, with her hearts of oak. 
Was going, mid roar and smoke. 
On to victory ! 

None of us doubted, 
No, not our dying — 
Farragut's Flag was flying ! 

Gaines growled low on our left, 
Morgan roai'ed on our right — 

Before us, gloomy and fell. 

With breath like the fume of hell, 

Lay the Dragon of iron shell. 
Driven at last to the fight ! 



THE BAY FIGHT— BKOWNELL'S POEM. 443 

Ha, old ship ! do they thrill, 

The brave two hundred scars 

You got in the River- Wars ? 
That were leeched with clamorous skill, 

(Surgery savage and hard,) 
Splinted with bolt and beam, 
Probed in scarfing and seam, 

Rudely linted and tarred 
With oakum and boiling pitch. 
And sutured with splice and hitch, 

At the Brooklyn Navy- Yard ! 

Our lofty spars were down. 
To bide the battle's frown, 
(Wont of old renown) — 
But every ship was drest 
In her bravest and her best, 

As if for a July day ; 
Sixty flags and three. 

As we floated up the bay — 
Every peak and mast-head flew 
The brave Red, White, and Blue — 

We were eighteen ships that day. 

With hawsers strong and taut, 
The weaker lashed to port. 

On we sailed, two by two — 
That if either a bolt should feel 
Crash through caldron or wheel. 
Fin of bronze or sinew of steel. 

Her mate might bear her through. 

Steadily nearing the head, 
The great Flag-Ship led. 

Grandest of sights ! 
On her lofty mizzen flew 
Our Leader's dauntless Blue, 

That had waved o'er twenty fights — 
29 



444 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

So we went, witli the first of the tide, 

Slowly, mid the roar 

Of the Rebel guns ashore 
And the thunder of each full broadside. 



Ah, how poor the prate 
Of statute and state 

We once held with these fellows — 
Here, on the flood's pale-green, 

Hark how he bellows. 

Each bluff old Sea-Lawyer ! 
Talk to them, Dahlgren, 

Parrott, and Sawyer ! 

On, in the whirling shade 

Of the cannon's sulphury breath, 
We drew to the Line of Death 

That our devilish Foe had laid — 

Meshed in a horrible net, 
And baited villainous well. 

Right in our path were set 
Three hundred traps of hell ! 

And there, O sight forlorn ! 
There, while the cannon 

Hurtled and thundered — 
(Ah, what ill raven 
Flapped o'er the ship that morn !) — 
Caught by the under- death. 
In the drawing of a breath 
Down went dauntless Craven, 
He and his hundred ! 

A moment we saw her turret, 

A little heel she gave, 
And a thin white spray went o'er her. 

Like the crest of a breaking wave — 



THE BAY FIGHT— BROWNELL'S POEM. 445 

In that great iron coffin, 

The channel for their grave, 

The fort their monument 
(Seen afar in the offing), 
Ten fathom deep lie Craven, 

And the bravest of our brave. 

Then, in that deadly track, 
A little the ships held back, 

Closing up in their stations — 
There are minutes that fix the fate 

Of battles and of nations 

(Christening the generations), 
When valor were all too late. 

If a moment's doubt be harbored — 
From the main-top, bold and brief. 
Came the word of our grand old Chief — 

" Go on ! " 'twas all he said — 
Our helm was put to starboard. 

And the Hartford passed ahead. 

Ahead lay the Tennessee, 

On our starboard bow he lay. 
With his mail-clad consorts three, 

(The rest had run up the Bay) — 
There he was, belching flame from his bow. 
And the steam from his throat's abyss 
Was a Dragon's maddened hiss — 

In sooth a most cursed craft ! — 
In a sullen ring at bay 
By the Middle Ground they lay, 

Raking us fore and aft. 

Trust me, our berth was hot. 

Ah, wickedly well they shot ; 
How their death-bolts howled and stung ! 

And the water-batteries played 

With their deadly cannonade 
Till the air around us rung ; 



446 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

So the battle raged and roared — 
Ah, had you been aboard 

To have seen the fight we made ! 

How they leaped, the tongues of flame, 

From the cannon's fiery lip ! 
How the broadsides, deck and frame, 

Shook the great ship ! 

And how the enemy's shell 
Came crashing, heavy and oft. 
Clouds of splinters flying aloft 

And falling in oaken showers — 
But ah, the pluck of the crew ! 

Had you stood on that deck of ours, 
You had seen what men may do. 

Still, as the fray grew louder. 

Boldly they worked and well ; 
Steadily came the powder. 

Steadily came the shell. 
And if tackle or truck found hurt. 

Quickly they cleared the wreck ; 
And the dead were laid to port, 

All a-row, on our deck. 

Never a nerve that failed, 

Never a cheek that paled, 
Not a tinge of gloom or pallor — 

There was bold Kentucky's grit. 
And the old Virginian valor. 

And the daring Yankee wit. 

There were blue eyes from turfy Shannon, 
There were black orbs from palmy Niger - 

But there, alongside the cannon. 
Each man fought like a tiger ! 



THE BAY FIGHT— BROWNELL'S POEM. 447 

A little, once, it looked ill, 

Our consort began to burn — 
They quenched the flames with a will, 
But our men were falling still, 

And still the fleet was astern. 

Right abreast of the Fort 

In an awful shroud they lay, 

Broadsides thundering away. 
And lightning from every port — 

Scene of glory and dread ! 
A storm-cloud all aglow 

With flashes of fiery red — 
The thunder raging below. 

And the forest of flags o'erhead ! 

So grand the hurly and roar, 

So fiercely their broadsides blazed, 
The regiments fighting ashore 

Forgot to fire as they gazed. 

There, to silence the Foe, 

Moving grimly and slow. 
They loomed in their deadly wreath, 

Where the darkest batteries frowned — 

Death in the air all round. 
And the black torpedoes beneath ! 

And now, as we looked ahead, 

All for'ard, the long white deck 
Was growing a strange dull red ; 
But soon, as once and again 
Fore and aft we sped, 

(The firing to guide or check,) 
You could hardly choose but tread 

On the ghastly human wreck, 
(Dreadful gobbet and shred 

That a minute ago were men !) 



448 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

Red, from main-mast to bitts ! 

Red, on bulwark and wale — 
Red, by combing and batcli — 

Red, o'er netting and rail ! 

And ever, with steady con, 
The ship forged slowly by — 

And ever the crew fought on, 

And their cheers rang loud and high. 

Grand was the sight to see 

How by their guns they stood. 
Right in front of our dead 
Fighting square abreast — 
Each brawny arm and chest 
All spotted with black and red, 
Chrism of fire and blood ! 

Worth our watch, dull and sterile. 

Worth all the weary time — 
Worth the woe and the peril, 

To stand in that strait sublime ! 

Fear ? A forgotten form ! 

Death ? A dream of the eyes ! 
We were atoms in God's great storm 

That roared through the angry skies. 

One only doubt was ours, 
One only dread we knew — 
Could the day that dawned so well 
Go down for the Darker Powers ? 
Would the fleet get through ? 
And ever the shot and shell 
Came with the howl of hell, 
The splinter-clouds rose and fell, 
And the long line of corpses grew — 
Would the fleet win through ? 



THE BAY FIGHT— BROWNELL'S POEM. 4A9 

They are men that never will fail, 

(How aforetime they've fought !) 
But Murder may yet prevail — 

They may sink as Craven sank. 
Therewith one hard, fierce thought, 
Burning on heart and lip, 
Ran like fire through the ship — 
Mght her, to the last plank ! 

A dimmer Renown might strike 

If Death lay square alongside — 
But the Old Flag has no like. 

She must fight, whatever betide — 
When the "War is a tale of old, 
And this day's story is told. 

They shall hear how the Hartford died ! 



But as we ranged ahead, 

And the leading ships worked in, 
Losing their hope to win, 
The enemy turned and fled — 
And one seeks a shallow reach, 

And another, winged in her flight. 
Our mate, brave Jouett, brings in — 
And one, all torn in the fight, 
Runs for a wreck on the beach, 

Where her flames soon fire the night. 

And the Ram, when well up the Bay, 

And we looked that our stems should meet, 
(He had us fair for a prey), 
Shifting his helm midway. 

Sheered off and ran for the fleet ; 
There, without skulking or sham. 

He fought them, gun for gun. 
And ever he sought to ram. 

But could finish never a one. 



450 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

From the first of the iron shower 
Till we sent our parting shell, 

'Twas just one savage hour 

Of the roar and the rage of hell. 

With the lessening smoke and thunder, 
Our glasses around we aim — 

What is that burning yonder ? 

Our Philippi — aground and in flame ! 

Below, 'twas still all a-roar. 
As the ships went by the shore, 

But the fire of the Fort had slacked, 
(So fierce their volleys had been) — 
And now, with a mighty din, 
The whole fleet came grandly in. 

Though sorely battered and wrecked. 

So, up the Bay we ran. 

The Flag to port and ahead ; 
And a pitying rain began 

To wash the lips of our dead. 

A league from the Fort we lay, 

And deemed that the end must lag ; 

When lo ! looking down the Bay, 
There flaunted the Rebel Rag — 

The Ram is again under way 
And heading dead for the Flag ! 

Steering up with the stream, 
Boldly his course he lay. 
Though the fleet all answered his fire, 
And, as he still drew nigher, 
Ever on bow and beam 

Our Monitors pounded away — 
How the Chickasaw hammered away ! 



THE BAY FIGHT— BROWNELL'S POEM. 451 

Quickly breasting the wave, 

Eager the prize to win, 
First of us all the brave 

Monongahela went in 
Under full head of steam — 
Twice she struck him abeam, 
Till her stem was a sorry work, 

(She might have run on a crag !) 
The Lackawanna hit fair. 
He flung her aside like cork. 

And still he held for the Flag. 

High in the mizzen shroud 

(Lest the smoke his sight o'erwhelm) 
Our Admiral's voice rang loud, 

" Hard-a-starboard your helm ! 
Starboard ! and run him down ! " 

Starboard it was — and so, 
Like a black squall's lifting frown, 
Our mighty bow bore down 

On the iron beak of the Foe. 

We stood on the deck together. 

Men that had looked on death 
In battle and stormy weather — 

Yet a little we held our breath. 

When, with the hush of death. 
The great ships drew together. 

Our Captain strode to the bow, 

Drayton, courtly and wise, 

Kindly cynic, and wise, 
(You hardly had known him now. 

The flame of fight in his eyes !) 
His brave heart eager to feel 
How the oak Avould tell on the steel ! 

But, as the space grew short, 
A little he seemed to shun us. 



452 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

Out peered a form grim and lanky, 

And a voice yelled — " Hard-a-port ! 
Hard-a-port ! — here 's the damned Yankee 
Coming right down on us ! " 

He sheered, but the ships ran foul 
With a gnarring shudder and growl — 

He gave us a deadly gun ; 
But, as he passed in his pride, 
(Rasping right alongside !) 

The Old Flag, in thunder tones. 
Poured in her port broadside, 
Rattling his iron hide. 

And cracking his timber bones ! 

Just then, at speed on the Foe, 

With her bow all weathered and brown, 
The great Lackawanna came down. 

Full tilt, for another blow ; 

We were forging ahead. 

She reversed — but, for all our pains. 

Rammed the old Hartford, instead. 
Just f or'ard the mizzen chains ! 

Ah ! how the masts did buckle and bend, 

And the stout hull ring and reel. 
As she took us right on end ! 

(Vain were engine and wheel, 

She was under full steam) — 
With the roar of a thunder-stroke 
Her two thousand tons of oak 

Brought up on us, right abeam ! 

A wreck, as it looked, we lay — 
(Rib and plankshear gave way 

To the stroke of that giant wedge !) 
Here, after all, we go — 
The old ship is gone ! — ah, no. 

But cut to the water's edge. 



THE BAT FIGHT— BROWNELL'S POEM. 453 

Never mind, tlien — at him again ! 

His flurry now can't last long ; 
He '11 never again see land — 
Try that on him, Marehand ! 

On him again, brave Strong ! 

Heading square at the hulk. 

Full on his beam we bore ; 
But the spine of the huge Sea-Hog 
Lay on the tide like a log, 

He vomited flame no more. 

By this, he had found it hot — 

Half the fleet, in an angry ring, 

Closed round the hideous Thing, 
Hammering with solid shot, 
And bearing down, bow on bow — 

He has but a minute to choose ; 
Life or renown ? — which now 

Will the Rebel Admiral lose ? 

Cruel, haughty, and cold. 

He ever was strong and bold — 

Shall he shrink from a wooden stem ? 
He will think of that brave band 
He sank in the Cumberland — 

Ay, he will sink like them. 

Nothing left but to fight 
Boldly his last sea-fight ! 

Can he strike ? By heaven, 'tis true ! 

Down comes the traitor Blue, 
And up goes the captive White ! 

Up went the White ! Ah then 
The hurrahs that, once and again, 
Rang from three thousand men 
All flushed and savage with fight ! 



454 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

Our dead lay cold and stark, 
But our dying, down in the dark, 

Answered as best they might — 
Lifting their poor lost arms, 

And cheering for God and Right ! 

Ended the mighty noise. 
Thunder of forts and ships, 
Down we went to the hold — 
O, our dear dying boys ! 

How we pressed their poor brave lips, 

(Ah, so pallid and cold !) 
And held their hands to the last, 
(Those that had hands to hold). 

Still thee, O woman heart ! 

(So strong an hour ago) — 
If the idle tears must start, 

'Tis not in vain they flow. 

They died, our children dear, 

On the drear berth deck they died ; 

Do not think of them here — 

Even now their footsteps near 

The immortal, tender sphere — 

(Land of love and cheer ! 
Home of the Crucified !) 

And the glorious deed survives. 

Our threescore, quiet and cold, 
Lie thus, for a myriad lives 

And treasure-millions untold — 
(Labor of poor men's lives. 
Hunger of weans and wives. 

Such is war-wasted gold.) 

Our ship and her fame to-day 
Shall float on the storied Stream, 



THE BAT FIGHT— BPvOWNELL'S POEM. 455 

When mast and shroud have crumbled away 
And her long, white deck is a dream. 

One daring leap in the dark, 

Three mortal hours, at the most — 
And hell lies stiff and stark 

On a hundred leagues of coast. 



For the mighty Gulf is ours — 
The Bay is lost and won. 
An Empire is lost and won ! 
Land, if thou yet hast flowers, 
Twine them in one more wreath 

Of tenderest white and red, 
(Twin buds of glory and death !) 
For the brows of our brave dead • 
For thy Navy's noblest Son. 

Joy, O Land, for thy sons, 
Victors by flood and field ! 

The traitor walls and guns 

Have nothing left but to yield — 
(Even now they surrender !) 

And the ships shall sail once more, 
And the cloud of war sweep on 

To break on the cruel shore — 
But Craven is gone, 
He and his hundred are gone. 

The flags flutter up and down 
At sunrise and twilight dim, 

The cannons menace and frown — 
But never again for him. 
Him and the hundred. 

The Dahlgrens are dumb. 
Dumb are the mortars — 



456 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

Never more shall the drum 
Beat to colors and quarters — 
The great guns are silent. 

O brave heart and loyal ! 

Let all your colors dip — 

Mourn him, proud Ship ! 
From main deck to royal. 

God rest our Captain, 

Rest our lost hundred. 

Droop, flag and pennant ! 

What is your pride for ? 

Heaven, that he died for, 
Rest our Lieutenant, 

Rest our brave threescore. 



O Mother Land ! this weary life 
We led, we lead, is 'long of thee ; 

Thine the strong agony of strife, 
And thine the lonely sea. 

Thine the long decks all slaughter-sprent. 

The weary rows of cots that lie 
With wrecks of strong men, marred and rent, 

'Neath Pensacola's sky. 

And thine the iron caves and dens 

Wherein the flame our war-fleet drives ; 

The fiery vaults, whose breath is men's 
Most dear and precious lives. 

Ah, ever, when with storm sublime 
Dread Nature clears our murky air, 

Thus in the crash of falling crime 
Some lesser guilt must share. 



THE BAT FIGHT— BROWI^ELL'S POEM. 457 

Full red the furnace fires must glow 

That melt the ore of mortal kind : 
The Mills of God are grinding slow, 

But ah, how close they grind ! 

To-day the Dahlgren and the drum 

Are dread Apostles of his Name ; 
His Kingdom here can only come 

By chrism of blood and flame. 

Be strong : already slants the gold 
Athwart these wild and stormy skies ; 

From out this blackened waste, behold, 
What happy homes shall rise ! 

But see thou well no traitor gloze, 

No striking hands with Death and Shame, 

Betray the sacred blood that flows 
So freely for thy name. 

And never fear a victor foe — 

Thy children's hearts are strong and high ; 

Nor mourn too fondly — well they know 
On deck or field to die. 

Nor shalt thou want one willing breath, 
Though, ever smiling round the brave. 

The blue sea bear us on to death. 
The green were one wide grave. 

U. S. Flaq-Ship Hartford, Mobile Bat, 
August, IS&i. 

In answer to Brownell, who asked permission to dedicate his 
volume of poems to him, Farragut wrote : 

" Beooklyn Navy-yaed, Septeniber 22, 1866. 
" My dear Feiend : I can certainly make no objection to 
the handsome dedication of your poems to me ; the warmth and 



458 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT/ 

deep feeling with wliicli it is made are only emblematic of your 
own ardent and affectionate nature. I have always esteemed it 
one of the happy events of my Hfe that I was able to gratify 
your enthusiastic desire to witness the grandest as well as most 
terrible of all nautical events, a great sea-fight ! And you were 
particularly fortunate in its being one in which all the ingenu- 
ity of our country had been employed to render it more terrible 
by the use of almost every implement of destruction known in 
the world, from the old-fashioned smooth-bore gun to the most 
diabolical contrivances for the destruction of human life. And 
permit me to assure you I have fully realized all my antici- 
pations that your pen would faithfully delineate the scene 
and do justice to the subject; and although your feeling of 
friendship for your commander should sometimes manifest it- 
self rather partially, it will be forgiven by the world, under 
the circumstances, and blotted out by the recording angel as 
was Uncle Toby's sin when he swore his friend should not 
die, and it will only be remembered with grateful feelings by 
your 

"Affectionate friend, 

"D. G. Fakkagut." 

It is not often that a ship or a regiment going into battle 
carries a poet among its men ; or if it does, the poet generally 
falls in the fight, for nearly all the martial lyrics in our language 
have been written by civilians or non-combatants. Drayton, 
Campbell, Motherwell, Macaulay, Tennyson, Halleck, and Hoff- 
man, all have written famous battle-pieces, yet not one of them 
ever saw a battle, except Campbell, and he only witnessed it 
from the tower of a convent. The old Hartford seems to 
have been singularly fortunate in this respect, having two 
poets among her actual combatants — for on a ship going into 
battle there can be no such thing as a non-combatant. Pay- 
master Wilham T. Meredith wrote this spirited lyric after the 
fight: 



FAEKAGUT'S MOEN— MEEEDITH'S POEM. 459 

FARRAGUT'S MORN. 

Faeeagut, Farragut, 

Old Heart of Oak ! 
Daring Dave Farragut, 

Thunderbolt-stroke, 
Watches the hoary mist 

Lift from the Bay, 
Till his flag, glory-kissed. 

Greets the young day. 

Then, as the hurricane 

Hurtles in wrath 
Legions of clouds amain 

Back fi'om its path. 
On Morgan's parapet, 

To the guns' lips. 
With bows of oak, Farragut, 

Hurls the iron ships, 
Hurls back their riven sides 

Belching forth smoke ! 
Fear-driven Treason hides — 

Iron yields to oak. 

Lashed to the shrouds that sway 

High o'er the deck. 
Where the white clouds away 

Roll from the wreck, 
Hear his word sternly sent 

Through the hot air, 
Mark his glance firmly bent 

When the guns glare. 

See the masts reel and lunge, 

When by the head 
The sinking ships lift and plunge, 

Deep with their dead. 
Parched lips drink the smoke. 

Striving to cheer ; 



460 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

Decks with red blood a-soak, 
From veins without fear. 

Under the shattered walls, 

White flies the water, 
Spray from the hissing balls — 

Lads, will ye falter ? 
One cheer for Farragut, 

High as the sun ! 
Taut lock-strings for Farragut, 

Mobile is won ! 

Into the direful cloud, 

Leads the blue flag, 
Teeth-set and head bowed, — 

Now die they who lag — 
By the forts, o'er the Bay, 

Trembling and torn — 
America names the day 

Farragut's Morn. 

Oh, while old ocean's breast 

Bears a white sail. 
And God's soft stars to rest 

Guide through the gale, 
Men will him ne'er forget. 

Old heart of oak, 
Farragut, Farragut, 

Thunderbolt-stroke ! 



CHAPTER XXYIII. 

BRITISH OPINIONS OF THE VICTORY — THE CAPTURE OF FORT MOR- 

GAIST — THE HARMONY BETWEEN LAND AND NAVAL FORCES 

EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS WHY FARRAGUT WAS NOT SENT TO 

WILMINGTON. 

Every American, whetlier Union or secessionist, understood 
well enougli the value and significance of Farragut's victory. 
For we were now in the fourth year of the war, its political is- 
sues were well defined, its military problems were clearly 
marked out, and it was evident that it could have but one ter- 
mination. The practical question was, how soon that termina- 
tion could be brought about by the exhaustion of the South's re- 
sources. If our armies had done nothing but hold their own, 
and the Kavy had gone on capturing seaboard cities and effect- 
ually sealing up the ports, the Confederacy must have fallen. 
But the British public, who had no admiration for any valor but 
that displayed by the rebels, and could not understand how the 
prospects of the Confederacy could be at all diminished so long 
as Lee's army held out, needed a little instruction. " The British 
Army and Kavy Gazette " suppKed it in an able article, from 
which the following paragraphs are taken : 

" Whatever speculations may have been sent abroad concern- 
ing the value of Farragut's success in forcing the forts at the 
entrance to Mobile Bay, there can now be no doubt of the sig- 
nal character of his victory and of the serious blow given to the 
Confederates in that quarter. It was argued that he had done 
nothing more than ran past Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan, and 
sink and destroy a certain number of the enemy's fleet ; that 
his position was most precarious, as his transports could not pass 
the batteries and he would have to run back for supplies ; that 



462 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

he could not get up to the town, in consequence of shoal water 
and of formidable works on land ; and that he could not hope 
to hold his own, as he had no troops to make an impression on 
the sides of the bay and prevent the transmission of supplies to 
the forts at the entrance. 

" Yesterday's news blew all these speculations, arguments, 
and assertions into the air, with one exception. By the sur- 
render of Fort Gaines on the west side of the entrance, and by 
the voluntary destruction of Fort Powell, the position of Fari'a- 
gut is rendered secure. The middle channel is left open, and 
stores can be landed under the guns of Fort Gaines ; and the 
channel to 'New Orleans, which was closed by Fort Powell, 
must now fall into the hands of the victors. 

" Next to New Orleans, the city of Mobile was the greatest 
cotton port in the States. It was lately driving a considerable 
trade in blockade-running, and gave abundant supplies to the 
Confederacy. Now, neither can cotton go out nor goods run 
in, and Mobile, its inhabitants, and garrison, are thrown on the 
resources of the impoverished and hard-pressed Confederacy. 

" Already a fleet of transports, laden with fresh provisions 
and ice, has sailed from New York to supply the doughty Ad- 
miral, whose feats of arms place him at the head of his profes- 
sion, and certainly constitute him the first naval officer of the 
day, as far as actual reputation, won by skill, courage, and hard 
fighting, goes." 

In a pamphlet on " Naval Operations during the Civil War 
in the United States," Eear- Admiral R. Y. Hamilton of the 
British Navy, after telling the story of the Mobile fight, says : 
" It appears to me that a disastrous defeat was converted into 
victory by (in so unexpected a contingency) the quickness of eye 
and power of rapid decision Farragut possessed, which saw at a 
glance the only escape from the dilemma the fleet were placed 
in, and which can only be acquired by a thorough practical 
knowledge in the management of fleets, and for want of which 
no amount of theoretical knowledge, however desirable in many 
respects, can make up in the moment of difficulty." Admiral 



THE CAPTUEE OF FORT MORGAN. 463 

Hamilton attributes tlie Federal naval successes largely to the 
free use of shell instead of solid shot, and the rapidity of fire. 

General Granger's troops were now transferred to the rear 
of Fort Morgan, and invested it on the 9th of August. Just a 
week after the passage of the forts, the Admiral wrote : 

^^Augmt 12th. 

" When I wrote you last, I think we had Forts Gaines and 
Powell. We are now tightening the cords around Fort Mor- 
gan. Page is as surly as a bull-dog, and says he will die in the 
last ditch. He says he can hold out six months, and that we 
can't knock his fort down. 

" "We have free egress to N^ew Orleans through Mississippi 
Sound. My sister writes me a long letter, begging me not to 
risk my life. How little people know of the risks of life ! 
Drayton made his clerk stay below, because he was a young 
married man. All my staff — Watson, McKinley, and Brownell 
— were in an exposed position on the poop deck, but escaped 
unhurt, while poor Heginbotham was killed. He was a good 
man, and a loss to Drayton. 

" General Canby and Commodore Palmer came over yester- 
day from l!^ew Orleans to 'see the sights.' They spent the 
night with me, and visited Forts Gaines and Powell. 

" Of course you see how the papers are puffing me ; but I 
am like Brownell's old cove, ' aU I want is to be let alone,' to 
live in peace (if I survive this war) with my family. 

" The small gunboats arrived just in good time, when the 
Glasgow and Loyall were my chief dependence for light work. 
The latter was mistaken by the enemy for a torpedo-boat. I 
have quite a colony here now — two forts, a big fleet, and a bay 
to run about in. 

"D. G. Faeeagut." 

During this interval Fort Morgan had been holding out 
stubbornly, a summons to surrender being firmly refused by the 
commander. It became a mere question of time. Troops were 
pouring in, heavy siege guns were being placed in position, and 



464 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEKAGUT. 

the investing lines getting closer and closer. Even the cap- 
tured Tennessee's formidable battery was turned against the 
doomed fort. A battery of four nine-inch Dahlgren guns, 
manned by seamen from the fleet and under the command of 
Lieutenant H. B. Tyson, also took part in the siege. But after 
a furious cannonade on the 22d, which was gallantly replied to 
by Morgan, Farragut writes (at 9 : 45 a. m., August 23d) : 

"■ General Granger signals to the Admiral, ' Unconditional 
surrender of Fort Morgan. All Page asks is, to be sent North. 
To be turned over at 2 p. m.' I shall send them all off to Kew 
Orleans this evening, and the stars and stripes will once more 
wave over the forts at the entrance to Mobile Bay. They should 
have done so some time ago." 

The total number of prisoners captured in the defenses of 
Mobile was one thousand four hundred and sixty-f om-, with one 
hundred and four guns. 

We now find the Admiral " resting on his oars," as he ex- 
presses it, as far as fighting was concerned, although he had 
plenty to occupy his attention in the bay. He was engaged, 
too, in the dangerous work of taking up torpedoes. Twenty- 
one of these " hellish inventions " were picked up in the main 
ship channel, and he writes on the 13th of September that 
" this part of the channel is now believed to be clear, though 
beyond doubt many more were originally anchored there — report 
says one Inmdred." 

About the 1st of September, Farragut was standing on the 
deck with several officers, watching the Kennebec coming in 
from Pensacola. Soon after, an officer came on board with 
dispatches for the Admiral marked " Important." With nat- 
ural curiosity, all the officers were waiting to hear the latest 
from the North, and even the old quartermaster on watch 
stretched his neck forward to catch a few stray bits of informa- 
tion. The Admiral handed the papers to Lieutenant Watson, 
and asked him to read their contents, remarking that he " had 
no secrets." 

The dispatch was from the Department, warning him not 



HARMONY BETWEEN LAND AND NAVAL FORCES. 465 

to attempt an attack on the defenses of Mobile, unless he was 
sui'e that he had a sufficient force, as powerful reenforcements 
would be sent to him as soon as possible. It was with intense 
satisfaction that he viewed his ships lying quietly at anchor in 
the bay, and the national flag floating over the forts at the en- 
trance. 

In his congratulatory letter to Admiral Farragut, after hear- 
ing of the capture of Fort Morgan, Secretary Welles said : " In 
the success which has attended your operations, you have illus- 
trated the efficiency and irresistible power of a naval force led 
by a bold and vigorous mind, and the insufficiency of any bat- 
teries to prevent the passage of a fleet thus led and commanded. 
Ton have, first on the Mississippi and recently in the bay of 
Mobile, demonstrated what had been previously doubted — the 
ability of naval vessels, properly manned and commanded, to 
set at defiance the best constructed and most heavily armed 
fortifications. In these successive victories you have encoun- 
tered great risks, but the results have vindicated the wisdom 
of your policy and the daring valor of our officers and sea- 
men." 

The official report of General Gordon Granger is especially 
valuable, in that it shows the perfect accord which existed be- 
tween the land and naval forces in these operations. The fol- 
lowing extracts exhibit this, and at the same time tell the story 
from a soldier's point of view : 

"Under orders from the Major-General commanding the 
Military Division of "West Mississippi, dated New Orleans, July 
31, 1864, I took command of the expedition that was to cooper- 
ate with the ]N"avy against the enemy's works at the entrance to 
Mobile Bay. 

" The instructions under which I was acting left it to my 
discretion to disembark upon Mobile Point, east of the entrance 
to the bay, and invest Fort Morgan, or to land upon Dauphin 
Island, west of the entrance and in rear of Fort Gaines. After 
consulting with Eear-Admiral Farragut, I decided to land be- 
hind Fort Gaines, because of the difficulty of landing upon 



466 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

Mobile Point from tlie open sea outside, tlie presence of tlie 
enemy's gunboats in position in tlie bay to command all land 
approaches to Fort Morgan, and the comparative facility with 
which Fort Gaines might be reduced, and the channels for 
light-draught vessels opened. This last consideration was of 
much importance in its bearing upon the question of supplying 
the fleet of the Kavy, should their projected attempt to run by 
the forts into the bay be successful. 

" Off this point the transports came to anchor upon the 
afternoon of the 3d, the movement up from the place of ren- 
dezvous having been covered by that part of Admiral Far- 
ragut's fleet stationed in Mississippi Sound, under command 
of Captain DeKrafft, U. S. N. To this officer and his com- 
mand I am much indebted for valuable services in sounding 
the approaches to the island, and in disembarking the troops. 
The latter work, under his direction and in charge of Lieutenant 
Pomeroy, commander of the gunboat Estrella, was most excel- 
lently done, and so rapidly that the engineer regiment, the first 
to land, was in line upon the beach before the last of the trans- 
ports had found anchorage. 

" In all this work the small boats and boats' crews from the 
l!^avy were industriously engaged, plying with great activity be- 
tween the transports and the shallows of the beach. 

" Preceding the advance of troops, the woods were shelled 
by the gunboats of the !Navy up to a point beyond where the 
line was to be established. 

" Being notified on the 7th by Rear- Admiral Farragut that 
a flag of truce had been sent in to him from the enemy, and 
that he awaited me for consultation, I went on board his flag- 
ship, the Hartford. After an official correspondence held with 
the enemy. Fort Gaines, with its entire armament, garrison, 
stores, and supplies, was surrendered by Colonel Charles D. 
Anderson, C. S. A., commanding, to the combined forces of the 
!N^avy and Army of the United States, Captain Drayton, U. S. 
N., on the part of the l^avy, and Colonel Albert J. Meyer, TJ. 
S. A., on the part of the Army, receiving the surrender; and 
on the morning of the 8th our troops occupied the fort, the 



HAKMONY BETWEEN LAND AND NAVAL FORCES. 467 

forces of the garrison marcliing out, stacking arms, and being 
placed on vessels for transfer to Kew Orleans. 

" Rear-Admiral Farragut and myself now dispatched to the 
fort [Morgan] a summons to surrender, borne under flag of 
truce bj Lieutenant Watson, of the I^avy, and Captain Mont- 
gomery, my Adjutant-General. 

" On the 22d, at daylight, the bombardment opened from 
land and water, and the fort was silent. 

" The monitors Chickasaw, Winnebago, and Manhattan, of 
the l^avy, with the iron-clad Tennessee, lay up at close range, 
and, with the larger vessels of the fleet outside, delivered their 
fire with accuracy and effect. I had already had occasion to 
remark the precision with which the guns upon the vessels were 
handled. The firing from the land was excellent, particularly 
that from Battery Farragut and the mortar batteries. 

"Early on the morning of the 23d, a white flag was dis- 
played by the fort, and under its walls I received an offer to 
capitulate, addressed to Eear- Admiral Farragut and myself. 
The Admiral being notified, terms of capitulation were arranged 
between Brigadier-General Page, C. S. A., commanding. Cap- 
tain Drayton, U. S. 1^., and Brigadier-General Arnold, U. S. A. 
Captain Drayton, U. S. 'N., for the Navy, and Brevet Brigadier- 
General Bailey, IT. S. Y., for the Army, received the surrender 
of the fort. 

" In reviewing the work thus successfully accomplished by 
the forces of the Navy and Ai^my cooperating together, I am 
pleased to record the perfect harmony existing between these 
two branches of the service. For my own part, I can not suffi- 
ciently acknowledge the assistance rendered by the fleet and 
the Admiral in command, in transporting and disembarking the 
troops, guns, and materials employed by me in the operations. 
In brief, during aU our relations, the oflScers of the fleet, with 
their distinguished commander, displayed in a high degree those 
qualities which mark their gallant service." 

Brigadier-General Kichard K. Arnold, chief of artiUery, says 
in his official report : 



468 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

"During this time four 9-incli Dalilgrens, whicli General 
Granger had made arrangements with Admiral Farragut to 
secure before my arrival, had been taken from their ships and 
placed bj the IS'avy in the batteries constructed for them. 

" On examination of the works after the surrender, all but 
one or two of the guns bearing on our land and naval forces 
were found to have been rendered unserviceable by the com- 
bined fire of the fleet and the land batteries. 

" The result of this bombardment demonstrates conclusively 
the inability of permanent works of this class to withstand the 
concentrated fire of artillery, whenever positions of 1,000 yards 
can be secured for batteries. Although the fort was not 
breached, it is evident that the power of artillery, which it 
was the intention of the commanding general to bring into 
play in cooperation with the !Navy on the second day of the 
bombardment, would probably have reduced Fort Morgan to 
a mass of ruins, and destroyed at least one half of its gar- 
rison. 

" Lieutenant Tyson, and Ensigns Cooper, Weldes, and Cas- 
sel, of the N^avy, with four gun-detachments from the flag-ship 
Hartford, were placed in charge of the Dahlgren batteries. 
From the time of their landing they labored well and faithfully 
in getting their guns into the difficult position selected for 
these batteries, and by their distinguished skill and accuracy 
during the bombardment contributed greatly to our success. 
Their services bespeak especial commendation." 

The Admiral made a reconnoissance in the Metacomet to 
within three and a half miles of Mobile, accomj)anied by sev- 
eral light-draught iron-clads. He discovered that the ^Nashville, 
an uncompleted ram, had been sunk across the main ship chan- 
nel, completely obstructing it, and- that there was also a row of 
piles guarded by batteries. It was impossible to approach the 
city until these obstructions could be removed. He thus gives 
vent to his feelings on the subject of attacking the city, and 
shows some of the disadvantages under which he labored in his 
last battle : 



EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS. 469 

" As I have a moment to spare, I take advantage of it to let 
you know that I am as well as a man can be who can neither 
sit, walk, nor stand five minutes at a time, on account of Job's 
comforters. But, thank God (I have so much to be thankful 
for, that I am thanking Him all the time), I am otherwise in 
pretty good condition. 

"As this is the last of my work, I expect a Httle respite, 
unless the Government want the city of Mobile, which I think 
is bad policy. It would be an elephant, and take a large army 
to hold it. And besides, all the traitors and rascally speculators 
would flock to that city, and pour into the Confederacy the 
wealth of New York. If the Government wish it taken, they 
must send the means to hold it. I must confess I don't like to 
work in seven and nine feet of water, and there is no more 
within several miles of Mobile. The enemy has barricaded the 
channel with forts, piles, and sunken vessels. Now, you know 
I am in no way diffident about going anywhere in the Hart- 
ford ; but when I have to leave her and take to a craft di'awing 
six feet of water, I feel badly." 

He now seems to be awaiting the movements of the army. 
He pays a visit to Fort Gaines, and remarks, " In my opinion, 
they are doing a great deal of unnecessary work in strengthen- 
ing the fort. "Who can attack it until the fleet is driven out of 
the bay? Better work the soldiers at their guns." On the 
12th of November he says : 

" It being a clear day, I determined to run up and look at 
the blockade and surroundings. Saw the Nashville (very for- 
midable, as much so as the Tennessee), Tuscaloosa, and Hunts- 
ville — aU iron-clads, also two floating batteries, Morgan and 
Baltic. "We are blockading them with one small iron-clad, the 
Chickasaw, and three small gunboats. The enemy has thrown 
up a large work on the eastern side of the bay, nearly opposite 
Dog River Bar — a fort with four guns near the water and three 
in rear. A work on the hill has as yet no guns. By landing 
.at the wharf about two miles below, the army could march up 



470 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

in rear, while the JSFavy attacks in front, and carry the hill. I 
think with our field batteries they could be driven out of the 
lower works. Now is the time ! We have let slip precious 
time to create a diversion in Sherman's favor." 

"While waiting to learn the wishes of the Government with 
regard to his further movements, Farragut wrote several letters, 
extracts from which will interest the reader who has followed 
his story thus far : 

" MoUle Bay, October 13, I864. 

" My dear Son : In regard to your studies, bear in mind, 
that which is acquired easily does not stick so well by you as 
that which has required labor. I confess I don't know much 
about analytical geometry, and I might not have seen the use 
of steam, telegraphs, and railroads, when I was as young as 
you are; but I do now fully comprehend the difficulties of 
keeping them all in order for working. So go along with your 
age, my boy, and remember also that one of the requisite studies 
for an officer is man. Where your analytical geometry will 
serve you once, a knowledge of meil will serve you daily. As 
a commander, to get the right men in the right place is one of 
the questions of success or defeat. 

" Take another lesson from the affair to which you alluded 
— about contending with the Government. Dr. Franklin said : 
' Always stoop your head a little, rather than run it against a 
beam.' It is not necessary to do wrong to avoid a difficulty. 
To submit to the decisions of the Government is what we all 
have to do. The object of government is to decide these mat- 
ters. It may sometimes do injustice, but an unwise decision 
will recoil on the officials that be, sooner or later. Therefore, 
my son, avoid difficulties with your superiors if possible, but 
never submit to indignity without becoming remonstrance. 

" Holt's report upon the secret societies in the United States, 
formed to overthrow the Government, brings to mind an inter- 
view between Kosas and Commodore Morris in Buenos Ayres, 
in 1832, on which occasion I acted as interpreter. Kosas said, 



EXTRACTS FROM LETTERS. 471 

'Tour Government can not last long. Ton have too many- 
secret societies. They will destroy any country and upset any 
government.' Of course we did not think he meant what he 
said of our Government, but that he was letting us understand 
that he could not always do as he pleased, on account of the 
Masorcura Club, which, I remarked to the Commodore, would 
soon destroy him. It looks now as if he was not far from right 
in our case. 

" Keeping an officer with a magnificent fleet in a port 
where there is not water enough to float the vessels, reminds 
me of the fable of the fox inviting the stork to dinner, and 
serving everything in shallow dishes." 

" November ^th. 

" Don't believe that I can be spoiled by adulation. Thank 
God, I am able to resist that temptation, if no other. I avoid 
the ports as much as possible, for my own sake as well as for 
the well-being of my officers and men. They are not all as 
able to resist the devil — especially in the shape of a bottle — as 
I am. But my fleet is very sober. I have only a few disposed 
in that way. 

" I think the Confederates are beginning to be a little down 
in the mouth out here. They firmly believed they would re- 
take I^ew Orleans in less than six months when I was last 
there. All that I used to tell them in Norfolk about civil war 
is upon them now with a vengeance. 

" D. G. Faeeagut." 

Among other compliments paid to the Admiral, after his 
last success, was the desire of prominent politicians to allow his 
name to be used as a candidate for the presidency in the canvass 
then approaching. Tarragut politely declined the proffered 
honor, and in alluding to the circumstance, says : " I am greatly 
obliged to my friends, but am thankful that I have no ambition 
for anything but what I am, an admiral. Of course I desire a 
good name as such. I have worked hard for three years, have 
been in eleven fights, and am willing to fight eleven more if 
necessary ; but when I go home I desu-e peace and comfort." 



472 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

The tone of several of these letters shows a little depression 
of spirits. His health had become enfeebled, from the strain 
upon him physically and mentally, and he longed for rest. 
Captain Drayton, with a tme, disinterested friendship, wrote 
home to his family that if the Admiral remained longer in the 
Gulf, he feared for the consequences. 

About the 1st of September the Department, being una- 
ware of his physical condition, had proposed to change the 
scene of Farragut's labors by giving him command of the naval 
operations in the vicinity of Wilmington, N. C. The late 
Gideon Welles, in one of his published papers on President 
Lincoln's administration, explained why Farragut's name was 
withdrawn, and Admiral Porter's substituted : 

" By special request of the Lieutenant-General, Eear-Admiral 
Porter had been, on the 22d of September, transferred from 
the Mississippi squadron, where he had served with Grant and 
cooperated with the Army in the capture of Yicksburg, to the 
North Atlantic squadron, with a view to the command of the 
expedition against Fort Fisher. This command had been first 
assigned to Admiral Farragut, on the 5th of September, after 
the successful mission of Assistant Secretary Fox and General 
Gillmore to induce General Grant to lend a military force to 
cooperate with the IS^avy. This was at a period when the tide 
of affairs, political and military, had taken a favorable turn, else- 
where than in the vicinity of Richmond. The proceedings and 
nomination at Chicago had just been promulgated, Atlanta had 
fallen, the Bay of Mobile and the forts which guarded its en- 
trance were in our possession, and the importance of prompt 
additional successes and decisive blows was felt by the adminis- 
tration to be necessary. But Admiral Farragut, the great and 
successful hero of the war, who was selected to command the 
expedition, had written me on the 27th of August a letter, 
which I did not receive until after my orders of the 5th of 
September assigning him to the command of the Fort Fisher 
expedition, saying his strength was almost exhausted, 'but as 
long as I am able, I am willing to do the bidding of the De- 



WHY FARRAGUT WAS NOT SENT TO WILMINGTON. 473 

partment to the best of my abilities. I fear, however, my 
health is giving way. I have now been down in this Gulf and 
the Caribbean Sea nearly five years out of six, with the excep- 
tion of the short time at home last fall, and the last six months 
have been a severe drag upon me, and I want rest if it is to be 
had.' 

" On receiving this letter, it was felt that further exaction 
on the energies of this valuable officer ought not to be made ; 
he was therefore relieved from that service, and Rear-Admiral 
Porter was substituted. The action of the Department in giv- 
ing Porter the command instead of Farragut was much com- 
mented upon and never fully understood by the country, which 
had learned to appreciate the noble qualities of Farragut, and 
gave him its unstinted confidence. The great Admiral always 
regretted — though on his account I did not — that he had re- 
ported his physical sufferings and low state of health before my 
orders were received or even issued." 



CHAPTEE XXIX. 

EETUEN TO THE NOKTH PRESENTATION OF A HOUSE — WHY FAE- 

KAGUT WAS OKDEEED TO THE JAMES — ENTEES EICHMOND 

SPEECH AT NOEFOLK HOLMEs's POEM. 

Faeeagtjt now received orders to return to the North in the 
Hartford. He writes from off Pensacola Bar, Nov. 30, 1864: 
" We are off at last for the North, with the delightful hope of 
seeing our beloved ones, wives and sweethearts. May God grant 
us a quick and pleasant passage. My labors have been inces- 
sant up to the last moment. I feel as if I were leaving my 
charge for a short recreation, but I shall not anticipate evil. 
God has not only been merciful to me, but blessed me with 
great success, and I still trust in his mercy." 

On the 12th of December the ship reached New York. 
The city officials made preparations to receive him ; a revenue 
cutter, with a committee of reception on board, met the Hart- 
ford at the Narrows, and a crowd welcomed him on his arrival at 
the Battery. A formal reception was given to him and Captain 
Drayton at the Custom House, where Collector Draper made 
the speech of welcome and read the resolutions of the Mer- 
chants' Committee: 

"Recognizing the illustrious service, heroic bravery, and 
tried loyalty which have distinguished the life of Kear-Admiral 
D, G. Farragut in the cause of his country — esj)ecially the lofty 
spirit of devotion by which he has been animated dm-ing all the 
period of the present war, and the signal victories achieved by 
him over the utmost skill and effort of the rebellion, therefore, 

" Besolved, That a committee of fifty citizens, to be named 
by the Chair, with power to add to their number, be appointed 



RETURN TO THE NORTH. 475 

to receive Admiral Farragut on his arrival, now soon expected, 
at this port. 

" Resolved^ That a Federal salute be fired in honor of the 
arrival of the flag-ship Hartford with Admiral Farragut on 
board. 

" Resolved^ That the City of ISTew Tork, following the ex- 
ample of the great free cities of the world, in doing honor to 
their illustrious countrymen, honors itself by tendering to Ad- 
miral Farragut an invitation to become a resident thereof, and 
that the committee be appointed to devise the best mode of car- 
rying this resolution into effect, so that the man, his achieve- 
ments, and his fame, may belong to the city. 

" Resolved^ That we see with the highest satisfaction that 
the President, in his annual message, and the Secretary of the 
Navy, recommend the creation of a higher grade of naval rank, 
with the designation of Admiral Farragut as the recipient, 
as a national recognition of distinguished service and exalted 
patriotism. 

" Resolved^ That the offer made by the Collector, of a rev- 
enue cutter for the use of the committee in meeting the flag- 
ship Hartford, be accepted with thanks." 

To these resolutions, which were received with tumultuous 
applause, the Admiral responded as follows : 

" My Friends : I can only reply to you as I did before, by 
saying that I receive these compliments with great thankfulness 
and deep emotions. I am entirely unaccustomed to make such 
an address as I would desire to do upon this occasion ; but if I 
do not express what I think of the honor you do me, trust me, 
I feel it most deeply. I don't think, however, that I particu- 
larly deserve anything from your hands. I can merely say that 
I have done my duty to the best of my abilities. I have been 
devoted to the service of my country since I was eight years of 
age, and my father was devoted to it before me. I have not 
specially deserved these demonstrations of your regard. I owe 

everything, perhaps, to chance, and to the praiseworthy exer- 
ol 



476 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

tions of my brother officers serving witli me. Thcat I have been 
fortunate is most true, and I am thankful, deeply thankful for 
it, for my country's sake. I return my thanks to the commit- 
tee for their resolutions, especially for the one in regard to the 
creation of an additional grade." 

After cheers had been given for Farragut, Drayton, and the 
fleet in Mobile Bay, Colonel A. J. H. Duganne was introduced, 
and read a ballad written for the occasion. 

"Wherever Farragut chanced to visit during the period of 
relaxation from the cares of service, the same hearty welcome 
awaited him. 

In pursuance of the third resolution of the merchants' meet- 
ing, that some means be devised for making Admiral Farragut 
a citizen of New York, the sum of fifty thousand dollars was 
raised by subscription, and presented to him in the form of 
Government bonds, the understanding being that he would use 
them for the purchase of a home in the city, which he did. If 
any vindication is needed for this generous gift and its accept- 
ance, bej'ond the high character of those concerned, it may 
readily be found in the peculiarity of our public service. Here, 
a man rises by merit from the lowest position to the highest 
honors, with no hereditary rank or estates to support the costly 
social and other obligations thereby entailed. The presenta- 
tion took place at the Custom House on Saturday morning, 
December 31st, the following address, engrossed on parchment, 
being read : 

" New York, December 31, I864. 
*' To Vice- Admiral David G. Fakeagut, Senior Flag-Officer of the United 

States Navy : 

" Deak Sur : It is but an act of duty on the part of the 
citizens of this commercial community to acknowledge the bril- 
Kant services you have rendered to the country in guarding its 
maritime interest, protecting its commerce, and maintaining the 
honor of its flag. 

" The gallantry displayed by the fleet which, under your 
orders, opened the Mississippi, from the Delta to the Crescent 



PRESENTATION OF A HOUSE. 477 

City, deservedly won the applause of a grateful people, and 
still later, in the contest now waging for the restoration of the 
national authority and the possession of the forts and territory 
of the Union, your unparalleled skill and dauntless intrepidity 
in forcing the entrance of the Bay of Mobile, and capturing its 
defenses, thriUed the hearts of your countrymen and excited 
the admiration of every generous nation. 

" The deeds which illustrate alike your name and the naval 
history of the Kepublic have been fitly recognized in your pro- 
motion to a grade higher than has ever before been known in 
the American E'avy — a rank fairly won in the bloody conflicts, 
justly bestowed by the Government, and gladly hailed by the 
American people. 

"The citizens of New York can offer no tribute equal to 
your claims on their gratitude and affection. Their earnest 
desire is, to receive you as one of their nmnber, and to be permit- 
ted, as fellow citizens, to share in the renown you wiU bring to 
the MetropoHtan City. 

" This desire is felt in common by the whole community, 
and, in the hope that it may not be inconsistent with your own 
views, the grateful duty has been confided to us of placing in 
your hands the accompanying testimonial ; and we remain, with 
the highest respect and regard, faithfully yom' friends, 

" MosES Tatlok, Chairman, 
" Samuel Sloan, Secretary, 
" John J. Cisco, Treasurer, 

" Francis Skiddy, C. H. Marshall, S. B. Chittenden, Isaac 
BeU, John Taylor Johnston, William T. Blodgett, George Op- 
dyke, Marshall O. Roberts, Samuel Wetmore, W. E. Dodge, 
George F. ISTesbitt, John A. Stewart, A. A. Low, S. Drajjer, 
Richard ScheU, M. H. Grinnell, R. H. McCurdy, John C. 
Green, and many others." 

To this addi'ess the Admiral replied : 

" Gentlemen : I can not allow this opportunity to pass with- 
out making some reply to what you so kindly say of me in mak- 



478 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

ing the gift, altliough I reserve to myself tlie privilege of ren- 
dering a more fitting acknowledgment at some future time. I 
will respond now to a few points in the address as I remember 
them. 

" As to the duties you speak of that were performed by my- 
self in command of the fleet in the South and Southwest, I have 
only to say, as I have repeatedly said before, that they were 
done in obedience to orders from the Department at "Washing- 
ton. I have earned out the views of the Department in accom- 
plishing what I promised to endeavor to do. In opening and 
protecting commerce, I have simply done my duty in the sphere 
to which I was called. 

" But when it comes to personal matters, I can only say, 
would that I had language to express the gratitude I feel for 
what you have done. From the moment, I may say, I made 
the entrance to this harbor, I have been the recipient of honors 
of every description, and it would be impossible for me, even if 
I were in the habit of making sjDeeches, to express what I so 
heartily feel. As to becoming a resident and a citizen of New 
York, nothing would be more grateful to my feelings, 

"I came here, I can hardly say as a refugee, but being 
forced out of the South, where I had resided more than forty 
years ; came naturally to this city, as the metropolis of the coun- 
try, and made my resting-place on the banks of the Hudson. I 
have every reason to be grateful ; you have always extended to 
me and my family the kindest treatment ; and it would be but 
natural that we should feel a desire to be with you, 

" But, gentlemen, you know I am a public officer, and must 
go just where I am ordered. Still it may be that, consistently 
with my obligations, I can be here ; and I will endeavor to 
make such arrangements, if it appears that at the same time I 
can perform my duty to my country." 

On December 22d a bill creating the grade of Yice-Admiral 
was introduced into Congress, and passed both houses. On the 
23d the President signed it, and named Farragut for the office, 
which nomination was immediately confirmed by the Senate. 



WHY FARRAGUT WAS ORDERED TO THE JAMES. 4Y9 

In January, the Admiral and Mrs. Farragut, visiting their 
home at Hastings on the Hudson, met with a most enthusiastic 
public reception. The streets were spanned with triumphal 
arches, and the words " New Orleans," " Mobile," " St. Philip," 
" Jackson," " Gaines," and " Morgan," with various mottoes, 
were displayed in evergreen letters. 

Late in December, 1864, the Richmond papers announced 
that a movement was on foot which would astonish the world. 
This turned out to be a scheme for the Confederate iron-clads 
and gunboats in the James to descend the river, break throiigh 
the ■ obstructions at Howlett's, destroy the pontoon bridges at 
Aiken's Landing, and cut off both the Army of the James and 
the Army of the Potomac (the former being on the left bank, 
and the latter on the right) from their base of supplies at City 
Point. The attempt was made on January 23, 1865. It was 
seriously embarrassed by the grounding of the largest iron-clad, 
and was completely baffled by the prompt and energetic action 
of Lieutenant-Commander (now Captain) Homer C. Blake, 
who, at the request of General Grant, left his station at Deep 
Bottom on his own responsibility and proceeded up stream. He 
had the Eutaw and the Onondaga under his command. The 
latter, posted at the obstructions, had been driven down stream 
by the fire of the Confederates, and had lost one propeller. Its 
place was supplied by lashing a tug to her port quarter, and, 
under a heavy fire, she was moved up and moored where she 
could command the gap in the obstructions. In the night this 
gap was filled with sunken coal-barges, and the Confederate op- 
portunity was lost for ever. 

Farragut was at this time in "Washington, and was at once 
ordered to the James.* He hoisted his flag on the steamer Don, 
Lieutenant T. H. Eastman, and proceeded at once to City Point 
and Howlett's. After carefully examining the situation, and 
approving Commander Blake's dispositions, the naval force in 
the James being now considerably increased, he returned to 
"Washington. 

* Admiral Porter, who commanded the North Atlantic squadron, was making 
the attack on Fort Fisher. 



480 THE LITE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

When Richmond fell, Farragut entered the city a short 
time before President Lincoln, Tuesday, April 4th. Charles 
C. Coffin, war correspondent of the " Boston Journal," wrote : 
" The Capitol, outside and in, like the Confederacy, is exceed- 
ingly dilapidated. The windows are broken, the cai-pets faded, 
the paint dingy, the desks rickety. The members of the Legis- 
lature had left their letters and papers behind. General Weit- 
zel was in the Senate Chamber, issuing his orders. General 
Shepley, military governor, was also there ; also General Dev- 
ens. The door opened, and a smooth-faced man, with a keen 
eye and a firm, quick, resolute step, entered. He wore a plain 
blue blouse, with three stars on the collar. It was the old hero 
who opened the way to 'New Orleans, and who fought the bat- 
tle of the Mobile forts from the mast-head of his vessel — Admi- 
ral Farragut. He was accompanied by General Gordon, of 
Massachusetts. They heard the news yesterday noon, and made 
all haste up the James, landing at Yarina, and taking horses to 
the city. It was a pleasure to take the brave Admiral's hand, 
and answer his eager questions as to what Grant had done. 
Being latest of all present from Petersburg, I could give him 
the desired information. ' Thank God, it is about over ! ' said 
he, meaning the rebellion. I was standing on the bank of the 
river, viewing the scene of desolation, when a boat pulled by 
twelve sailors came up stream. It contained President Lincoln 
and his son, Admiral Porter, Captain Penrose, of the Army, 
Captain A. H. Adams, of the Navy, and Lieutenant "W. W. 
Clemens, of the Signal Corps." 

A few days later Farragut visited Norfolk, Virginia, his old 
home, which in 1861 he had been compelled to leave because 
of his fidelity to the government he had sworn to serve. There 
was a strong feeling of resentment against him on the part of 
some of his old friends ; but he took it philosophically, and did 
not refrain from expressing his views with conscientious frank- 
ness. A reception was given him by the Union people of the 
place and the naval and military officers stationed there, and he 
made a speech in which he recounted the circumstances of his 
departure : 



SPEECH AT NOEFOLK:. 481 

" Me. Chairman, Gentlemen of the Union LEAauE, Fel- 
low Citizens, and my Bkothek Officers of the Aemy and 
Navy : I thank you for the kind remarks which yon have been 
pleased to make, and I wish that I had the language to express 
myseK as I have heard others very near me four years ago, in 
this place, when we had our best speakers standing forth for 
the Union, and striving with all their rhetoric to persuade the 
people to desist from their unholy resolution, and cast their 
votes for the Union. This meeting recalls to me the most mo- 
mentous events of my life, when I listened in this place till the 
small hours of the morning, and returned home with the feel- 
ing that Virginia was safe and firm in her place in the Union. 
Our Union members of the Convention were elected by an 
overwhelming majority, and sent to Richmond, and we believed 
that everything was right. Judge, then, my friends, of our 
astonishment in finding, a few days later, that the State had 
been voted out by a miserable minority, for the want of firm- 
ness and resolution on the part of those whom we trusted to 
represent us there, and that Yirginia had been dragooned out 
of the Union. 

" What was the reason for this act ? The President's call 
for seventy-five thousand men ? Why, our arsenals, navj^-yards, 
money in the mint at New Orleans, had been seized, and Sum- 
ter bombarded. Was it, then, remarkable that the Government 
of the United States should call for troops to sustain itself? 
Would Jackson have submitted to this ? No ; for I recollect 
that I myseK had the honor to be sent to South Carolina to 
support his mandate that the Union must and should be pre- 
served. I was told by a brother officer that the State had se- 
ceded, and that I must either resign, and turn traitor to the 
Government which had supported me from my childhood, or I 
must leave this place. Thank God ! I was not long in making 
my decision. I have spent half of my life in revolutionary 
countries, and I know the horrors of civil war, and I told the 
people what I had seen, and what they would experience. They 
laughed at me, and called me ' granny ' and ' croaker ' ; and I 
said, ' I can not live here, and will seek some other place where 



482 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

I can live, and on two hours' notice.' I suppose they said I 
left my country for my country's good, and thank God I did ! 

" I went from here with the few valuables I could hastily 
collect. I was unwilling to believe that this difficulty would 
not have been settled ; but it was all in vain, and, as every man 
must do in a revolution, as he puts his foot down, so it marks 
his life. It has pleased God to protect me thus far, and make 
me somewhat instmmental in dealing heavy blows at the rebel- 
lion. I have been nothing more than an instrument in the 
hands of God, weU supported by my officers and men, who 
have done their duty faithfully. 

"I hope, my friends, that this day, with its events, may 
prove the culminating point of our revolution ; and I hope that 
before long all will be restored to that peace and reunion which 
has been sought by the Government and desired by everybody ; 
and then you, gentlemen, who have deserved so well of your 
country by your steady adherence to its Government, will re- 
ceive the reward which fidelity, and honesty, and moral courage 
always deserve." 

In the summer of 1865 the Admiral visited New England. 
The citizens of Boston held an enthusiastic reception in Faneuil 
Hall for him and General Robert Anderson, the hero of Fort 
Sumter. On the 6th of July the Union Club gave a dinner to 
the Admiral. Among the guests was Oliver Wendell Holmes, 
who read the following graceful and characteristic poem : 

A TOAST TO THE VICE-ADMIRAL. 

Now gallant friends and shipmates all, 

Since half our battle 's won, 
A broadside for our Admiral ! 

Load every crystal gun ! 
Stand ready till I give the word — 

You won't have time to tire — 
And when that glorious name is heard, 

Then let the main deck fire ! 




OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES'S POEM. 483 

Bow foremost sinks the rebel craft, 

Our eyes not sadly turn 
And see the pirates huddling aft 

To drop their raft astern ; 
Soon o'er the sea-worm's destined prey 

The lifted wave shall close — 
So perish from the face of day 

All Freedom's banded foes ! 

But ah ! what splendors fire the sky ! 

What glories greet the morn ! 
The storm-tossed banner streams on high, 

Its heavenly hues new born ! 
Its red fresh dyed in heroes' blood, 

Its peaceful white more pure, 
To float unstained o'er field and flood 

"While earth and seas endure ! 

All shapes that feel the living blast 

Must glide from mortal view — 
Black roll the billows of the past 

Behind the present's blue — 
Fast, fast are lessening in the light 

The names of high renown — 
Van Tromp's proud besom pales from sight, 

Old Benbow 's half hull down ! 

Scarce one tall frigate walks the sea 

Or skirts the safer shores. 
Of all that bore to victory 

Our stout old Commodores ; 
Hull, Bainbridge, Porter — where are they ? 

The answering billows roll 
Still bright in memory's sunset ray — 

God rest each gallant soul ! 

A brighter name must dim their light 

With more than noon-tide ray — 
The Viking of the River Fight, 

The Conqueror of the Bay ! 



484 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

For others shape the marble form, 

The molten image cast ; 
But paint him in the battle-storm, 

Lashed to his flag-ship's mast. 

Now then, your broadside, shipmates all, 

"With grape well loaded down ! 
May garlands filled with sunshine fall 

To gild his silvered crown ! 
I give the name that fits him best — 

Ay, better than his own — 
The Sea King of the sovereign West, 

Who made his mast a throne ! 

In Cambridge the horses were taken from his carriage, and 
drag-ropes attached to it, and two hundred Harvard students 
drew him through the streets to the various college buildings. 
In the evening a reception was held at the residence of Charles 
Dean, Esq. 

At Portsmouth, N. H., as the Admiral with his wife and 
son left the residence of Admiral Bailey to embark for the Isles 
of Shoals, in July, the two thousand men employed in the Navy- 
yard assembled on the wharf to greet him. The yards of the 
Pawnee, Admiral Dahlgren's flag-ship, were manned, and six 
cheers given for the " Hero of the Mississipj)i." 

From the termination of the war till 1868, Farragut, on 
account of his delicate health, was not assigned to any particu- 
lar duty, except that he was for a short time a member of a 
board for considering promotions. But his time was fully oc- 
cupied in correspondence connected with the winding up of the 
affairs of the Western Gulf Squadron. 



CHAPTER XXX. 

THE EANK OF ADMIRAL CKUISE OF THE FEAJSTKLESr Df EUEOPEAN 

WATERS — FAEKAGUt's JOUENAL. 

On July 25, 1866, Congress passed a law creating the grade 
of Admiral, wliicli had never before existed in our Navy, and 
as a matter of course the office was immediately conferred upon 
Farragut. The next year he was given command of the Euro- 
pean squadron, and hoisted his flag on the Franklin, Captain 
Alexander M. Pennock, a frigate of four thousand tons, carry- 
ing thirty-nine guns and seven hundred and fifty men. 

Two days before the day fixed for sailing, Mrs. Farragut, 
who had made arrangements to cross the Atlantic in a passenger 
steamer and join her husband on the Continent, received a tele- 
gram from President Johnson giving her permission to accom- 
pany the Admiral in the Franklin. This timely courtesy was 
all the more appreciated because it was entirely unsolicited and 
unexpected. The Admiral then asked that the same privilege 
be extended to her cousin Mrs. Pennock, wife of the command- 
ing officer, which was granted. 

The Franklin sailed from ITew York on the afternoon of 
June 28, 1867, and arrived at Cherbourg, France, on the 14th 
of July. The first six days of the voyage were as bright and 
beautiful as could be desired ; after that, some stormy weather 
was experienced, but nothing that seriously delayed the progress 
of the ship. 

Thus after an interval of more than forty years, the mid- 
shipman of eighteen returned to European waters, bearing the 
highest naval rank that his country could confer — a rank which 
he himself had largely helped to create. He was received 
with distinction by the crowned heads of Europe, reviewed the 
iron-clad fleets of England, Russia, and France, and studied 



486 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

the apparatus of tlie dock-jards and arsenals. He looked upon 
these honors as paid to his flag no less than to himseK, con- 
sidered that the duty of entertaining was required of him by 
his rank, and in his receptions went to the full extent of his 
income. At the same time, he never for a moment lost sight 
of his duties as the commander of a squadron and servant of his 
country. Kot a harbor was visited where he did not observe 
critically its chances for defense by sea or land. " Who knows," 
said he, " but that my services may be needed here some day ? " 
During a part of this cruise, he kept a journal, which is here 
given, with only the omission here and there of such technical 
details as would not interest the reader : 

" Jxine 17, 1867. 
" Hoisted my flag, and gave a reception on board the Frank- 
lin. At 5 o'clock President Johnson came on board, and was 
received with all the honors. All the American and French 
ships of war saluted with twenty-one guns, and manned their 
yards. The French officers were invited to the reception and 
ball, headed by Eear-Admiral Didelot, and including the two 
hundred midshipmen on the school-ship. All went o& well." 

''June 28th. 
" Mrs. Farragut has received permission to accompany me 
in this ship to Europe. Went on board with Mrs. Farragut and 
Mrs. Pennock. Put to sea at four o'clock p. m., under two 
boilers, and continued to run with steam when the wind was 
ahead or very light. When we could make seven knots with 
the wind, we took up the propeller, or let it revolve ; difference, 
two to three knots in favor of hoisting the propeller. Found 
it did not hoist high enough by three feet ; had it altered at 
Cherbourg, where Admiral Eeynaud was very kind, and most 
cheerfully did all we wished. We made the passage in six- 
teen days." 

''July Uth. 

" To-night we arrived at Cherbourg. It began to rain and 
blow, which continued till the 21st. We exchanged salutes and 



4'a 



FAKEAGUT'S JOURNAL. 487 

visits in the rain. I saw my old acquaintances, Yice- Admiral 
Reynaud and E,ear-Admiral Laroimes, commanding tlie iron- 
clad fleet." 

'^July 21st. 

" "Went to Paris with Mrs. Farragut, and let the officers go, 
as they wished to see the Exposition. Passed through a most 
beautiful country, most beautifully cultivated. We visited our 
Minister, General Dix, who gave us a handsome reception, and 
were called upon by nearly all the Americans in Paris. 

" We visited the Exposition daily during our stay. I did 
not see half of the departments. Saw pretty much all the 
boats and guns, however. 

" Yice-Admiral Halstead was exhibiting a new system of 
iron-clad, with upper decks and tripod masts ; upper works for 
the comfort of the crew. I do not think an iron-clad can be so 
constructed as to float easily with all the appurtenances for sail 
and steam, and the additional superstructure of decks, having at 
the same time armor thick enough to resist 15- or 20-inch shot." 

'Wuly S6th. 
" Heard that the Empress was coming to Cherbourg in her 
yacht. I hastened down to Cherbourg, exchanged notes with 
Admiral Peynaud, and promised to participate in the honors to 
her Majesty. 

" At ten o'clock p. m. received an invitation to dine with 
the Emperor in Paris." 

" July 27th. 

" At nine o'clock a. m. started again for Paris, leaving Cap- 
tain Pennock and Captain Le Roy to make arrangements, re- 
ceive the Empress, and give my apology. At half past seven in 
the evening General Dix called for me, and we went to the 
Tuileries. 

" On entering, I was met by his Majesty, who shook hands, 
and welcomed me to France. General Dix was placed on the 
right and I on the left of the Emperor ; the ministers of Foreign 
Affairs and Marine in front. The others, ten in number, I did 
not know. 



'# 



488 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" The Emperor seemed surprised to learn that I had been 
in Paris for some time, and still more that I had come from 
Cherbourg that morning. I told him that I went to receive the 
Empress, but, on the receipt of his invitation, determined to ac- 
cept, as it was uncertain about her movements, on account of 
bad weather, etc. 

" He asked me if I knew the Dunderberg (iron-clad). I re- 
plied in the affirmative, and said she was formidable. Did I 
think she would cross safely ? I said ' Yes,' and added that the 
officer who made the trial trip in her had spoken very favorably 
of her sea-going qualities ; and that was when they supposed 
she was intended for our ISTavy. 

" His Majesty spoke also of an invention for propelling ves- 
sels by means of a kind of piston, and asked if I had seen it. I 
replied I had not, but had heard it highly spoken of by an Eng- 
lish engineer. He remarked that it was his own invention, 
made some years since, and he would be glad if it could be 
made useful. 

" He led the conversation in everything, and talked freely 
on subjects that he felt an interest in." 

" July 29thy Sunday. 
' " Went to the Episcopal church, and after the service took 
leave of General Dix, who was going to join his family in 
Switzerland." 

"July 30th. 
" Took leave of Mrs. Earragut, and returned to Cherbourg. 
Yisited our Consul and Admiral Reynaud." 

''July 31st. 
" Yisited the arsenal, by appointment. Met Admiral Eey- 
naud and lady, and several officers. 

" Cherbourg dock-yard is one of the most compact and com- 
plete I ever saw. It has nine dry docks. There were four 
iron-clads on the stocks, one being nearly ready for launching. 
The shops and foundries are in fine order. Saw two steam 
hammers and two tilt hammers in one shop, 1,000 to 4,000 lbs. 
each. They put on the iron plating with screws instead of 



FARRAGUT'S JOURNAL. 489 

rivets. It may answer. Tliey splice in tlie iron rigging, in- 
stead of turning in. 

" Found tlie copper off the bottom of the Ticonderoga, and 
asked to have her docked. Admiral Reynaud said it should be 
done immediately." 

''July 31st. 

" Took leave of Admiral Reynaud and his lady, returned on 
board, and at three o'clock made signal to the Onondaga and 
Frolic to follow our motions, and put to sea." 

'■'August Ist. 
" Standing along the coast of England. Saw the watering- 
places very distinctly. Passed through the Downs ; many ves- 
sels in sight, forty to sixty at a time." 

" August 8d. 

" Arrived off the Skaw, and took a pilot." 

"August Jith. 
" One of the marines, "William "Wallis, died of heart disease." 

" August 5th. 

" Sent a party of marines, with surgeon and marine officer, 
on shore at Nyborg, to bury the dead. 

" This being the anniversaiy of the Mobile Bay fight, I had 
all the officers in the cabin to take a glass of wine with me. 
Anchored in Kiel Bay. The Frolic arrived about eight o'clock. 
Gave him his orders to go to Stettin in the morning." 

''August 7th. 
" Made experiments with the primers on the 5-lb. charges, 
and became convinced that the cause of our bad salutes was the 
want of practice in pulling the lock-string." 

August 8th. 
"As usual, weather fine, wind light. All sail on ship." 

August 10th. 
" Arrived at Cronstadt, and got a pilot to show us our an- 
chorage. Soon the fort began firing, and two ships fired salutes 



490 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

of seventeen guns. By tliis time the smoke was so dense that 
we could not tell who was firing. We fired a national salute, 
with the Kussian flag at the fore. An iron-clad and a side-wheel 
steamer of war manned their rigging and cheered us. "We 
manned both sides, and returned all their cheers. Kear- Admiral 
Lessovski came on board to pay his respects, and stayed till after 
sunset. This was a very warm reception, even more than we 
expected. We found the Ticonderoga here." 

" August 11th. 
" The Swedish Commodore came on board. He has four 
iron-clad monitors, the same as ours. Ericsson keeps the Swe- 
dish Government posted up on the monitor system. This gen- 
tleman, who was aide-de-camp to the King of Sweden, is an in- 
telligent man, and very agreeable." 

" August 12th. 

" To-day was appointed for me to receive the Russian naval 
officers, to be introduced by Admiral Lessovski. At half past 
ten I went on shore at Cronstadt. Yisited the Admiral and 
our Consul. Had a pleasant visit at the Admiral's, and insisted 
on bringing Madame Lessovski on board with me, to see the ship, 
to which we returned at half past twelve. 

" At half past one a steamer came out, with many boats in 
tow, anchored near us, and the officers came on board — about 
one hundred. I received them on the quarter-deck, with the full 
guard of marines and the crew all at quarters. Took them all 
through the ship, introduced them as well as I could, and then 
took them into the cabin, where they partook of the refresh- 
ments I had prepared for them. They -all appeared to enjoy 
themselves, and were as much surprised at my entertainment as 
I had been by the reception they gave me when I entered the 
port. At three o'clock they took leave. We gave them a salute 
of seventeen guns, coming and going." 

" August 13th. 
" Went to return the call of the Swedish Commodore Sun- 
don, but did not find him on board. Saw his four monitors. 



FAERAGUT'S JOURNAL. 491 

" The Mayor and several consuls came on board. Showed 
them through the ship, and then invited them into the cabin, 
and gave them a lunch. Table set in the form of a Russian 
flag. 

" At five o'clock went on shore with staff, and dined with 
Governor * Lessovski and his family." 

*' August IJfth. 
" "Went up to St. Petersburg with my staff, to see our Min- 
ister, Hon. Cassius M. Clay. We rode all round the city, and 
visited the Isaac "Church, the most elegant and richest I ever saw." 

" August 15th. 

*' On my return to Cronstadt, found that Admiral Lessovski 
had an invitation for me to visit with him the country palace of 
the Grand Duke Constantino, for a presentation, with my cap- 
tains and the Swedish Commodore. In the morning we set out 
in a Government steamer. At St. Petersburg took the railroad 
for the Grand Duke's palace. Found the Swedish officers and 
Minister already there. 

" His Highness is very affable and intelligent, with an as- 
tonishing memory of men and events in relation to our country 
and Navy. He invited us to dine with him at five o'clock, and 
in the mean time to amuse ourselves riding about the grounds. 

" We saw the small lakes, and every variety of boat, from 
an Esquimau canoe to a gondola. Then we rode to the ar- 
mory, in which are deposited millions of wealth, in diamonds 
and other precious stones, decorations of sword-handles, saddle- 
cloths, and every species of arms that can be thought of. Also 
a toilet set of gold, presented by Napoleon I. to Alexander of 
Russia, after the treaty of Tilsit. 

" At five o'clock we returned to the palace, and prepared for 
dinner. When the Grand Duke entered, he asked us to par- 
take of the appetizer, according to the custom of the country. 
At the table he seated me on his right. At dinner he com- 
menced the conversation affably and with good understanding 

* The Russian Admiral was Governor of Cronstadt. 
32 



492 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

of tlie improvements in tlie vessels and implements of the pres- 
ent day. He said he wished me to go down to Trongsund, to 
see his iron-clad fleet, commanded by Yice- Admiral Bontakoff. 
He spoke of himself as a sailor, and said that he had intended 
his eldest son to step into his shoes, but he could not, being a 
martyr to sea-sickness. Fixed the day for visiting our ship, the 

16th." 

^^ Avgust 16tk. 

" At 4 P. M. the Grand Duke and suite arrived in his yacht. 
"We manned yards, saluted, and cheered ship. His Highness 
went all through the ship, and by the most pertinent questions 
showed a knowledge of both steam and sailing vessels. He 
repeated his invitation for me to visit his iron-clad fleet. I 
told him I would accompany him at any time. He said, ' No, 
I want you to go when I am not present, as the honors would 
be mine, and I wish them to be yours particularly.' " 

'^ August 17th. 
" Went to St. Petersburg, accompanied by Captain Le Eoy, 
Dr. Foltz, Mr. Moore, Mr. Watson, and Major Montgomery ; 
also Mrs. Farragut. We were also accompanied by Mr. Kane 
and Captain Eitchakoff, who had been appointed for that pur- 
pose." 

" August 18th. 

" Arrived in Moscow at eleven o'clock, after a very pleas- 
ant ride through a pretty well cultivated country, crossing the 
Yolga and one or two other rivers. Captain Ritchakoii soon 
made arrangements for our visiting the Kremlin on Monday. 
I called on such of the authorities as were in the city," 

" August 19th. 
" Yisited the Kremlin and the principal palaces, churches, 
and public buildings of Moscow, with Colonel Posniak as our 
guide. The Alexander Palace is equal, if not superior, in style, 
finish, and richness, to anything I have seen. They all contain 
an immense amount of gold, silver, and jewels, elaborately dis- 
played, with crowns, thrones, armor, arms, saddles, old coaches. 



FAERAGUT'S JOURNAL. 493 

etc. The churclies in the Kremlin also contain great wealth 
in embroidery and jewels, bestowed upon the backs of Bibles 
and embodied in the robes of priests. The back of one of 
the Bibles is said to be valued at one million dollars. In gaz- 
ing on these things, it is impossible to refrain from reflecting 
upon the amount of good this wealth might do if properly- 
employed. 

" We were shown many relics of departed saints, and saw 
hundreds entering to bow down and kiss them. Little children 
were held up by their parents to perform this sacred duty. 

" The walls of one church are covered with pictures repre- 
senting the sacrifice of heretics by every means of torture which 
human ingenuity could possibly devise. The senior prelate 
presented me with two pictures of saints, painted on blocks of 
wood. 

" From the balcony of the palace we had a fine view of the 
city, and our guide pointed out the road by which the French 
entered Moscow, and also that by which they left. We vis- 
ited a convent, from which we had a fine view of the other 
side of the city. 

" Hence we went to the Zoological Garden, which is a beau- 
tiful evening walk. It contains some small lakes, is prettily 
decorated with flowers, and is well taken care of. The collec- 
tion of animals is not large. Although I understand that hogs 
abound in this country, this is the only place where I have seen 
one. 

" In passing through the Kremlin yard, we had an opportu- 
nity of examining the big bronze gun, with a bore thirty-six 
inches in diameter. The shot was lying under it. There was 
also a great variety of guns, captured in the Eastern wars. 

" We saw the Great Bell, which was broken, according to 
one tradition, by falling from the steeple of the Kremlin ; ac- 
cording to another, by the breaking of the tackle employed in 
raising it. 

" In the evening we took passage for Nizhni Novgorod, at 
the confluence of the Volga and the Oka, two hundred and fifty 
miles from Moscow, and arrived there the next morning at 



494 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

eleven o'clock. We were soon waited ujDon by tlie nephew of 
tlie President of the Board of Trade, Mr. Schultze, who was 
authorized to make provision for our stay at the railway depot. 
His uncle called soon after breakfast, and drove us all over the 
famous fair-grounds. 

" The Governor, who is a general in the army, also waited 
upon us, and drove us to his mansion, which is on the high 
ground on the opposite side of the river. We were there in- 
troduced to his two interesting daughters, who were in charge 
of an English governess. 

"In the evening we repaired, by invitation, to the mer- 
chants' dining-hall, where a most sumptuous dinner had been -pre- 
pared for us. The first dish was sturgeon soup, or sterlitz. 
There was also a boiled fish of the same kind, about three feet 
long. Both of them were alive that morning, and had been 
brought from the Caspian Sea. They cost as much as four 
hundred roubles (two hundred and eighty dollars) apiece. The 
fish resembles the common sturgeon in scarcely any particular, 
except in the shape of its body. The meat is white and 
delicate, and is esteemed one of the greatest luxuries in the 
country. 

" From the high ground of the city, looking down upon the 
rivers, you might fancy yourself at Baton Eouge — only allow- 
ing the imagination to supply a river running at right angles to 
the Mississippi, under the bluffs. Both rivers (Yolga and Oka) 
are covered with freight boats and steamers. There are about 
two thousand of the former, and four hundred and fifty steam 
tow-boats. The strangest thing is, that all their goods are de- 
posited on the low, flat ground opposite the city. The fair- 
grounds are about one mile square, covered with temporary 
houses, booths, etc., most of which are washed away, or more 
or less ruined, by the autumn rains and the breaking-up of the 
rivers in the spring. It is wonderful that such an immense 
amount of property should be so recklessly imperiled, when it 
might be so easily secured on the opposite side of the river, 
where the ground is from one hundred to one hundred and fifty 
feet high. 



FAREAGUT'S JOURNAL. 495 

" Tlie Oka is crossed on bridges of boats, but at tliis point 
there are no bridges over the Volga. 

" Althoiigb you do not see tlie different races of people that 
once visited ITovgorod, tlie visitor is still sm-prised at the im- 
mense amount of produce brought from the Caspian, and from 
other points south and east. I had not an opportunity of see- 
ing a hundredth part of the articles for sale. Samples are ex- 
hibited at the Exchange, and when a sale is made the seller has 
his boat hauled to the bank, or alongside the outer boat, and the 
goods are landed. The work of landing and disposing of the 
articles di'aws hither many thousands of laborers. Some idea 
of this may be foniied from the fact that the fixed popula- 
tion of the town is from fifteen thousand to twenty thousand, 
while at the time of our visit it was over sixty thousand. 

" Our dinner was a very handsome affair. After the coffee 
was served, the gj^sies sang and danced for us. The style was 
much the same as that of the Spanish fandango. 

"About nine o'clock we took leave of our hosts, and re- 
turned to Moscow, arriving next morning at eleven o'clock. In 
the afternoon we started for St. Petersburg, where we arrived 
at nine o'clock in the morning of 

'^ August 2M. 

" I remained all this day visiting the Hydi'ographic Depart- 
ment and studying the plans of the military fortifications in the 
Engineering Department ; in all of which I took the deepest 
interest. I found everything in the Hydrographic Ofiice in. 
perfect order. All the work is done in their own building. 
They engrave and print their charts — a full set of which the 
Minister of Marine was kind enough to present to me. I also 
saw the plans of the different fortifications of Russia, and had 
everything explained to me in cases where there had been con- 
tests between Russia and other nations. 

"The old Paul Palace I would recommend to all naval 
and military men, as one of the most interesting places to visit 
in St. Petersburg. It was rendered doubly so from the kind- 
ness and courtesy with which we were received. I was particu- 



496 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

larly indebted to Colonel Guern for his kindness on this and 
other occasions." 

^^ August SSd. 

" I was engaged to dine with the Minister of Marine, Ad- 
miral Crabbe, on board the Euric, off Cronstadt. This was an 
official dinner given to me, to which I had been invited a week 
before. Accompanied by Captain Ketchikoff, and the officers 
of my staff, I went down in the Government steamer which had 
been at my service during my stay at Cronstadt. 

" At five o'clock we w^ent alongside the Kuric, and found 
her beautifully decorated with flags, and a sumptuous dinner 
prepared on the spar-deck. I found there nearly all the Eus- 
sian naval officers. The dinner went off delightfully, and when 
we left they burned blue and white lights and cheered lustily." 

*' August mh. 

" Yisited the Hermitage, and the Winter Palace, where the 
curiosities and collections are generally of the same nature as 
those I had seen in the Kremlin. I saw everything but the 
snug, domestic room which in my opinion is so essential to 
human happiness. I was surprised at the beautiful works of 
art in porphyry and marble, in all the palaces I visited, made 
in and brought from Siberia. 

"From the Hermitage I went to the Kazan Cathedral, 
where I saw the trophies of various battle-fields of Peter the 
Great and the Eussian generals. The balustrade around the 
•altar is of solid silver." 

" August 25th, Sunday. 

" I went to the American Episcopal Mission Church, and 
heard a very fair sermon from an American minister." 

" August 26tTi. 
" By appointment, I went in a steamer twenty miles up the 
Neva, to a foundry where they were at work for the Govern- 
ment, casting, boring, and rifling the famous Krupp gims. 
They were also doing a variety of railroad work. The Eussian 
Colonel who superintends this foundry shows fine capacities by 



FARRAGUT'S JOURNAL. 497 

his selection of tools and mechanics and the manner in which 
he has pushed the work ahead. He has been in the United 
States, and is familiar with our foundries. He showed us 
everything, beginning with the department for making the cru- 
cibles in which the steel is melted ; then the melting ; then the 
casting of the gun ; all of which we witnessed. 

" They had eleven truck guns in process of manufacture, and 
I should think they would turn out more in a day than any 
nation of Europe has at the present time. 

" After our return from the foundry, I dined with Prince 
Gallitzin, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, at his residence. 
Mrs. Farragut, Captain and Mrs. Pennock, and Captain Le Roy 
accompanied me. 

" It was there arranged that we were to spend the next day 
at my excellent friend Admiral Lessovski's, and in the evening 
attend a ball to be given in onr honor." 

** Augmt 27th. 

" Determined to leave St. Petersburg for good. This morn- 
ing was notified that the Grand Duke had placed his yacht at 
my service, to convey us to Cronstadt. 

" I went direct to my ship, accompanied by Minister Clay, 
and at two o'clock received the French Minister, M. Talleyrand, 
and suite. 

" On going to the ball, which was held in the Government 
House, we were received with blue lights, rockets, and cheers. 
It was a magnificent affair. Supper was served at one o'clock, 
and the guests retired about four o'clock a. m." 

*^ August 28th. 
"In company with Admiral Lessovski and the Colonel of 
Engineers, I visited Fort Constantine this morning. The fort 
is of the usual form, but it is of wrought iron on the top of a 
heavy granite basement. It is well supported with a strong 
backing of wood, and the front will be faced with comcrete or 
earth in time of war. It appears to me to be a most excellent 
system for batteries. 



498 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

"In tlie afternoon, on board my ship, I received Prince 
Liclitenberg." 

" August 29th. 

" This day I gave a large entertainment on board the Frank- 
lin, to the officers — mihtary, naval, and civil. We had the com- 
pany of Admirals Crabbeand Lessovski and Prince Gallitzin, and 
all the officers of high rank in the Army and JS^avy who were 
about St. Petersburg ; also the Mayor and Council of Cronstadt. 

" The ship was handsomely decorated, and an entertainment 
was set out on the gun-deck. The table was about one hundred 
feet long, and was inclosed with flags, as was also the opposite 
side of the gun-deck, quarter-deck, and poop, where the younger 
portion of the company enjoyed the dance." 

'''' August 30th. 

"This morning at five o'clock I left Cronstadt with the 
Franklin, Canandaigua, Ticonderoga, and Frolic, and proceeded 
to Trongsund Eoads. This trip was made because of a wish 
expressed by the Grand Duke Constantino, that I should visit 
the iron-clad fleet assembled there for the purpose of naval ex- 
ercise during the summer months. 

" As we entered the sound leading to Trongsund Poads, a 
sloop-of-war on the lookout met us and saluted my flag. Some 
eight miles farther up, we discovered the monitor fleet, ten in 
number, coming down in Hne abreast, flanked by two sloops-of- 
war, and firing a salute of seventeen guns, each vessel taking 
part in the salute, firing from right to left. This salute was 
novel, and the effect was beautiful. They steamed past us in 
line, turned in line by a general movement admirable for its 
accuracy, and followed us to the anchorage, where the heavy 
iron-clads were moored in line ; the station of honor being 
assigned to us in advance. 

" Vice- Admiral Gregory Boutakoff, whose flag was flying 
from the iron-clad frigate Petropavlosk, now saluted, and the 
whole Pussian fleet cheered. After we anchored, each of the 
monitors constituting the escorting squadi'on rounded under our 
stern, fired her battery, cheered ship, and took position in line 



FAERAGUT'S JOURNAL. 499 

in rear of tlie heavy iron-clads. We clieered in turn. Bouta- 
koff, witli his admirals and captains, called and paid their re- 
spects, inviting me and my officers to visit Viborg the next 
day, and afterward dine with him on board his flag-ship. 

" In the evening we were honored with another novel, beau- 
tiful, and interesting display. All the boats of the fleet, fully 
manned, were formed in two divisions in hne ahead, each divi- 
sion towed by a small steamer ; the men bearing brilliant lights, 
and singing wild Eussian peasant-songs. One division passed 
our bow, the other our stern. We acknowledged the compli- 
ment with cheering by our crew and our band playing the Rus- 
sian hymn. 

" On the following day, with my staff and commanding offi- 
cers, I went on board the two-turreted ship Smertch, under 
the escort of Yice-Admiral Boutakoff, and steamed to Yiborg. 
Several of my officers followed in the Government steamer. 
After visiting some places of interest, and receiving a handsome 
entertainment, we returned to our ships, 

" In the evening, accompanied by officers of my squadron, I 
dined on board the Russian flag-ship. On this occasion, a most 
kind and generous compliment was paid to the American peo- 
ple and our Navy by an extract from the Russian ' Signal Or- 
ders,' a copy of which I obtained.* 

" Every vessel of the Russian squadron was brilliantly il- 
luminated. 

" The next morning, with several officers, I inspected the 
vessels of the iron-clad fleet." 

'■'■ Septemler 1st, 2 a. m. 
"We weighed anchor, and proceeded to sea, exchanging 
salutes with the flag-ship, and thus, amid cheering from aU the 
ships of the two squadrons, concluded a visit which from first 
to last has been marked by the interchange of the warmest 
friendliness." 

* The translation of the extract was : " Let us remember the glorious examples 
of Farragut and his followers at New Orleans and Mobile." The quotation was 
prettily printed on a card in the two languages and distributed among the guests. 



500 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAREAGUT. 

" September 3d. 

" At 2 A. M. anchored off "Waxholm, Sweden, about fifteen 
miles below Stockholm, and immediately thereafter exchanged 
salutes with the fort. 

" About four o'clock p. m. a Swedish gunboat came along- 
sidp, having on board General Bartlett, our Minister, and Mr. 
Perkins, Consul. 

"On the following day, accompanied by part of my staff 
and commanding officers, I called on Count Platen, Minister of 
Marine, and on the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, by both of 
whom we were received with the kindest cordiality. Count 
Platen invited me and several oflicers to dine, and we were en- 
tertained in the handsomest manner, the table being graced 
with the presence of the highest officials in Stockholm and their 
ladies. 

" On the same day I received an invitation through Count 
Platen to dine with his Majesty King Charles XY., at his sum- 
mer palace. 

" At the appointed time we repaired to the palace, and were 
presented to his Majesty, who was not only courteous but cor- 
dial in his manner, drank my health, and expressed his gratifi- 
cation at again having vessels of war of the United States in 
Swedish waters. In return, I expressed the great pleasure it 
would give me to receive his Majesty on board my ship. He 
regretted that his health would not permit him to accept my 
invitation." 

" September 7th. 

" To-day I gave an entertainment on board the Franklin, 
returning the civilities which had been extended to me. 

" During my stay here a gunboat was placed at my disposal, 
and Captain F. Malmberg, of the Coast Artillery, was assigned 
as my aid, to whose kindness and courtesy I am much indebted. 

" I was presented while here, through Emil Warberg, hydrog- 
rapher, with a very valuable collection of charts. 

" I was very favorably impressed with the Swedes, and re- 
ceived nothing but kindness from them during my entire stay." 



FAERAGUT'S JOURNAL. 501 

" September 9th. 

" This moming, at 11 o'clock, we weighed anchor and pro- 
ceeded to sea, reaching the Baltic at 2 o'clock. 

" During my stay at Stockholm, I received the greatest 
kindness from General Bartlett, our Minister, and his sister, and 
also from Count Platen." 

" September 10th. 

" On our way down the Baltic, I made general signal to 
exercise at target, put out a barrel, and hove squadron to. The 
fii'ing was generally good. Also exercised the other vessels at 
changing topsails, the Franklin at the topgallant yards, reefing 
topsails, etc." 

" September 12th. 

"At 12 o'clock M. the pilot ran the Franklin ashore off Ny- 
borg, on a bank, where she remained until the tide began to 
rise, and was then hauled off." 

*' September 13th. 

" Got under way at 5 : 30 a. m., and proceeded up the Great 
Belt. The wind was fresh, and, fearing that we might not be 
able to accomplish the trip around to Copenhagen by night 
without putting on full steam, I ordered all the furnaces lighted, 
being at the same time desirous to try the full speed of all the 
vessels. This I did to my perfect satisfaction. This ship 
steamed eight miles an hour against almost a gale, proving that 
the Franklin against a fresh breeze and a moderate sea was 
more than a match for any of the other vessels. Her perform- 
ance gave general satisfaction, and I think under full power she 
steams better than any frigate in the service. 

" This night we anchored in the Sound, about five miles 
from Elsinore, and on the following morning anchored off 
Copenhagen." 

" September l^th. 
"I called upon the United States Minister, Mr, Yeaman, 
and with him called upon Mr. Eaasloff, Minister of "War, and 
Admiral Dockum, Minister of Marine — the only two ministers 
in Copenhagen. 



502 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

" The armories are particularly worthy of a visit. I saw 
there cannon hundreds of years old, and numerous species of 
small arms, similar to those now in use, which claim to be in- 
ventions of the present day. At least, the variations have been 
so trifling that it is doubtful whether there have been any im- 
provements. I have visited armories in France, Eussia, and 
Sweden, but have nowhere seen so complete a collection, chron- 
ologically arranged, as at Copenhagen. Among other things, I 
saw an entire battery of breech-loading cannon of wrought-iron, 
taken out of a vessel that was sunk during the seventeenth 
century, which seemed to me to contain all the essential points 
of modern breech-loaders." 

" September 16th. 

" Minister Teaman gave a dinner to me and my officers, at 
w^hich were present all the foreign ministers. I returned these 
civilities by a reception and collation on board the Franklin on 
the 18th." 

^^ September 19th. 

" Accompanied by our Minister, Mr. Yeaman, and my staff 
and commanding officers, I was presented at Court, and on the 
same evening dined with his Majesty the King of Denmark, 
his brothers, and his two sons — Frederick, the Crown Prince, 
and George, King of Greece. The King was pleased to drink 
the prosperity of our country, as well as my own individually. 

"During my stay at Copenhagen, I inspected the Crown 
Battery, in company with the Minister of War, who was anxious 
that I should see it. This fort is made of concrete, molded 
into shape — that is, it is made in a mold. The effect of a shot 
upon it would be to mash the part struck, without disintegrating. 

" While we were going to the fort, a torpedo was exploded 
by a galvanic battery under a raft of timber prepared for the 
occasion. The timber was knocked high into the air. A series 
of experiments was being made for the defense of the harbor. 
Many heavy guns are mounted in the fort. The embrasures 
are as small as possible, and are supported by iron rings — the 
invention of General De Russey, U. S. Engineers. 

"The first moment I arrived in Copenhagen, I began a 



FAERAGUT'S JOURNAL. 503 

search for my old friends Gierlew and Knudsen, who had been 
so uniformly kind to me in Tunis while they were consuls there. 
Mr. Gierlew had long since departed, and left his family poor. 
Knudsen died last year, but left his family well off. Mr. Heck- 
scher, our Consul, informed me that he knew both of the families. 
Mr. Gierlew's daughter Caroline, he said, was married to a blind 
man, a literary gentleman, and they made a scant living by 
translating for periodicals, etc. Emma was living at Elsinore 
on a small sum. I sought them out, and will keep my eye on 
them. I left them my photograph and a httle keepsake.* 
Knudsen's daughter had married a captain in the Danish navy. 
He appeared to be a fine young maUj and I invited him on 
board to my reception." 

" September 20th. 

"Weighed anchor, and proceeded again to sea. When off 
the Skaw, the Canandaigua and Ticonderoga having been di- 
rected to visit certain ports, we parted company." 

*' September 23d^ Monday. 
"Saturday afternoon the wind began to blow from the west, 
and it has increased in force until to-day, when it became a gale, 
hauling more to the north, and blowing with great violence." 

* Montgomery's " Cruise of the Franklin," page 12Y, calls the keepsake "a very 
substantial token of his regard." One of these ladies handed Mrs. Farragut a letter 
to read which her father had preserved for half a century as a valued remembrance 
of Midshipman Farragut, remarking that, " although her family would not part with 
the original, she was willing that a copy might be made of it." It reads as fol- 
lows: 

" UNrrED States Mabine HosprtAL, 

" Pisa, January 27. 1819. 

"_My Dear Sir : I am happy to inform you that I had a pleasant ride out last 

evening with a young Jewess, who was very easy and agreeable in her conversation, 

so that I did not repent in the least my late ride, as we contrived to make the time 

pass. 

" I have also to inform you that this morning, after rising from my bed at 
eleven o'clock (to my shame), and after mature reflection, I determined to repair 
immediately to Messina and join the squadron. You may be a little surprised at so 
sudden a determination, but you know it is the duty of a person of my profession to 
decide quick and execute with promptness and spirit. 

" I have the honor to inform you that, 

" Sincerely I remain your young friend. 

" D. G. Farragut. 
" To Me. a. C. Gieelew, Consul-General to his Danish Majesty for Tunis." 



504 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" Septerriber 25th. 
" Gale subsided. The Franklin, although she rolled and 
plunged violently, did not strain anything, and came out of the 
gale with only the loss of one of her head-boards." 

" September 26th. 

" Anchored off Gravesend, England, having been detained 
twenty-four hours off Sheerness by a fog. 

" Exchanged salutes with the fort, and was saluted by the 
Formidable, the flag-ship of Yice-Admiral Sir Baldwin Walker, 
who sent an officer to welcome me to the port and tender me 
all the facilities of the dock-yard. 

" A few hours later I received a note from Sir Baldwin, in- 
closing a telegram from the Lords of the Admiralty, in these 
words : ' The Board will be happy to render any assistance and 
attention to Admiral Farragut and his squadron that may be 
agreeable to him.' 

" I addressed a note to Mr. Adams, our Minister, informing 
him of my desire to pay my respects to him, etc. Received a 
reply from Mr. Moran, Secretary of Legation, saying that, as 
Mr. Adams was absent on the Continent, it would afford him 
gratification to contribute to om* comfort and pleasure during 
our sojourn in England." 

" September 28th. 

" Accompanied by part of my staff, I visited London. "Was 
called upon by Mr. Moran and our Consul, Mr. Morse. Accom- 
panied by Mr. Moran, I called upon Lord Stanley and the Lords 
of the Admii-alty, none of whom, however, were in the city." 

" September 29th. 

" Yice-Admiral Sir Sydney Dacres, one of the Lords of the 
Admiralty, returned my call, and tendered me every facility for 
visiting points of naval interest in England. 

" Subsequently the Lords Commissioners invited me to ac- 
company them on their annual tour of inspection of the dock- 
yards at Woolwich, Chatham, Sheerness, and Portsmouth. Thus 
far I have visited the three first named, and was much gratified 



FARRAGUT'S JOURNAL. 505 

not only by wliat I saw, but by tlie great courtesy invariably be- 
stowed upon me and my officers. 

"In London I dined by invitation with Yice- Admiral Sir 
Sydney Dacres and Yice-Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, and on 
each occasion met many distinguisbed naval officers. I also 
dined twice with her grace the Duchess Dowager of Somerset. 

" The Prince de Joinville visited the flag-ship off Gravesend, 
and invited me and my officers to his place at Mount Lebanon. 
This invitation was promptly accepted. After we had partaken 
of a handsome dejeuner^ he drove us through Bushey Park and 
Pichmond to Hampton Court, returning to Twickenham station 
by Kew Gardens. 

" During my sojourn in London I visited many places of 
interest — St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey, the Tower, the Houses 
of ParKament, the Zoological Gardens, etc., all of which afforded 
me very great pleasure. 

" I received an invitation to dine with the Lord Mayor, and 
one to visit Sheffield and Liverpool, both of which I was obliged 
to decline, in consequence of my departure for Lisbon. 

" Before leaving London, I was visited by the Count de Paris 
and Mr. Adams. 

" October 12th. 

" Returned to the Franklin, after spending two weeks in 
London. 

" October 14th. 

" In company with Yice-Admiral Sir Baldwin "Walker and 
Eear- Admiral Astley Cooper Key, Acting Director-General of 
Ordnance, I availed myself of a permit to witness the gun- 
practice at Shoeburyness. On landing, we were received by 
Colonel Fisher and Major Curtis, of the Royal Artillery, who 
showed us everything of interest, and entertained us in the most 
hospitable manner. 

" Exjjeriments were being made with our fifteen-inch gun 
and the Enghsh nine-inch rifled gun. The targets were riddled 
by both ; and, though it appeared to me that the fifteen-inch 
gun produced the most destructive effects, experiments have 
not yet decided the relative merits of the two. Although they 



506 THE LIFE OF DAYID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

accord a superiority to our iron, tliey consider that the conical 
shot of their nine-inch gun, weighing 250 pounds, will accom- 
plish a greater penetration, while the fifteen-inch gun has 
greater crushing power. 

" On our return, the Yice- Admiral and the officers of the 
yard were received and entertained by me on board the Frank- 
lin. 

"While I was in London, Mr. Deane, Secretary of the 
Anglo-American Telegraph Company, called upon me and ten- 
dered the use of the Atlantic Cable to transmit to America, 
free of charge, any messages which I might desire to send — a 
compliment which we highly apj)reciated. 

" October 15th. 

"Left Sheerness, and on the morning of the 16th anchored 
off Portsmouth, exchanging salutes with the authorities. 

" "Wrote to the Lords of the Admiralty, in accordance with a 
previous arrangement, that I would be ready to receive them 
on the 17th. Accordingly on that day the Right Honorable 
Mr. Corry, Yice-Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, E-ear-Admiral 
Key, and Captain T. Brandreth, accompanied by Admiral Sir 
Thomas Pasley and staff, were received on board with full 
honors. After inspecting the ship and taking an early dinner, 

they returned to London. 

•' Octoler 18th. 

" In company with Sir Thomas Pasley, I made a most inter- 
esting visit to the dock-yard, commanded by Rear-Admiral Wel- 
lesley. This yard is a fine one for building and repairing ; but, 
as it is insufficient for the wants of their service, they are now 
taking in from 150 to 200 acres of additional land, most of 
which is reclaimed from the shallow water. 

" I saw several iron-clads, in which they are trying all the 
experiments suggested by officers and ingenious mechanics. 
Some have liollow masts and yards of iron ; some on the tripod 
principle. Tliey have not as yet extended the iron rigging 
beyond the lower masts, as they say they find a difficulty in 
exercising with it on the upper masts. 

" From the dock-yard I accompanied Admiral Pasley to the 



FAKEAGUT'S JOUENAL. 507 

Excellent, gunnery ship, commanded by Captain Arthur W. A. 
Hood, who gave ns an opportunity of witnessing all the exer- 
cises of officers and men in the various drills. Shot, shell, and 
Hale's rockets were fired at targets, and, to my surprise, the 
rockets performed very well. I am informed that the improve- 
ments in the rockets have resulted from placing shields on the 
rear end, against which the jet of fire strikes, giving the rocket 
a rotatory motion. 

" Young officers of the Royal I^avy are exercised on board 
the Excellent at the great guns and small arms, prejDaratory to 
their examination. It is also part of the system to instnict men 
in the use of diving apparatus by actual practice. I noticed a 
great improvement in the apparatus, which consists in placing a 
small case on the diver's back, similar to a knapsack, containing 
sufficient condensed air to sustain life for several hours, and 
entirely under the diver's control. 

" From the Excellent we went on board the Water Witch. 
This is an iron-clad of about seven hundred tons. She carries 
two eight-inch rifled guns, and is propelled in a novel manner. 
The water rises from below into a box, whence a rotary pump, 
worked by steam, throws it with great violence into two square 
tubes placed on the outside of the vessel, one on each side, 
nearly amidships, and about at the water-line. These tubes are 
ten or twelve feet long, and twelve inches in diameter, open at 
both ends. Near the center is a valve, under the control of the 
officer of the deck, and as he turns it the water is thrown either 
forward or aft, thus propelling the vessel ahead or askew, at his 
will. 

" As soon as we got on board she sailed out of the harbor, 

and, to my amazement, she went ahead at a speed of seven or 

eight miles an hour, against a fresh breeze and quite a sea. 

The machinery, when once put in motion, had no interruption 

till we were alongside the wharf again. She was sent ahead, 

backed, and turned upon her center with great ease. On our 

return from Spithead, she made as much as nine knots an hour, 

up to within sixty yards of the wharf, when she was suddenly 

checked, and brought to the wharf with infinitely more ease 
33 



508 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. 

than any steamer I ever saw ; notwithstanding she is a heavy 
vessel, plated with four and a half inches of iron. As a vessel 
of war, however, it struck me that the exposure of these boxes 
to the enemy's shot was a serious defect. 

" October 19th. 

" The Duke of Cambridge signified his desire to visit the 
Franklin. At haK-past two I received him and his staff with 
all honors. He appeared to be much pleased, and after a brief 
stay left the vessel with the same honors with which he was re- 
ceived. 

" Owing to our brief sojourn at Portsmouth, we were obliged 
to decline many invitations, only accepting the hospitality of 
Admiral Pasley, Rear-Admiral "Wellesley, and Captain Beau- 
champ Seymour of the flag-ship Victory — Kelson's flag-ship at 
Trafalgar. A small steamer was placed at my disposal during 

my entire stay. 

" Octoler 20th. 

" Left Portsmouth, and on the morning of the 21st anchored 
in the harbor of Plymouth. The weather was so bad that I 
could not call upon the authorities till next day. 

" Captain Purdy, flag-captain of Admiral Sir William Fan- 
shawe Martin, came on board, and after tendering the civilities 
of the port, placed at my disposal during our stay here the steam- 
yacht Princess Alice. 

" Octoler 2M. 

"Went on shore at Devonport, and was received at the 
wharf by Admiral Martin and Eear- Admiral Drummond and 
staff. With these I called upon the commander-in-chief of the 
military forces, Major-General Sir Augustus A. Spencer, and 
afterward visited the dock-yards of Keyham and Devonport. 
The two are connected by a tunnel, through which it is intended 
to lay a railroad. The Keyham yard and the floating docks have 
recently been greatly enlarged. I found here the same facilities 
for work of every kind that I had noticed at the other dock- 
yards. All their cranes and shears, and indeed nearly all of 
their appliances, are made of iron. 

" I went on board the Agincourt, which was fitting for sea, 



FAEEAGUT'S JOUENAL. 509 

an armored vessel of 6,621 tons, and the Prince Albert, a 
four-turreted vessel on Captain Cole's principle, of nearly 
2,600 tons. The latter is armed with one gun in each tur- 
ret, a nine-inch, twelve-ton, rifled gun. The Agincourt is be- 
ing changed from five masts to three, the former number 
having been reported against by the commanding admiral of 
the Channel fleet. 

" Experiments are being tried on board the Prince Albert to 
avoid the effects of the shock of the blast of the heavy guns on 
the hurricane deck and light work past which they may be 
obliged to fire ; but as yet no satisfactory results have been ar- 
rived at. 

"I visited the victualing establishment at Plymouth, in 
charge of Captain Tatham, which supplies the principal part of 
the bread for the Royal l^avy. The organization of the estab- 
lishment appeared to be good, and the bread was of excellent 
quality. From this department is supplied the mess furniture 
of all the officers and of the crew, and to the latter also pro- 
visions and small stores. 

" From here we went to the Naval Hospital, where I made 
an inspection of the several departments with Captain Tatham 
and Surgeon Stewart. The principal point of difference be- 
tween this and other hospitals that I have visited is, that for 
different diseases they use distinct buildings instead of wards. 

" To-day a Prussian iron-clad arrived in the harbor with her 
mainmast lying across her deck. It was of tubular iron. It 
appears that she rolled away her foremast and mainmast in a 
heavy swell off Cape Finisterre. The captain says there wks 
very little wind ; he attributes the break to a defect in the 
iron. 

" I am happy to say that here, as elsewhere in England, I 
have been treated with the greatest kindness and courtesy. 
The day after my arrival I dined with Admiral Martin, and 
on the following evening with the commander-in-chief of the 
military forces, Major-General Spencer, where I was invited 
to meet H. R. H. the Duke of Cambridge. On each occasion 
the principal officers of the Army and J^avy were assembled. 



510 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

" Octoler 24, 1867. 
" Left Plymoutli in the afternoon, and after a very pleasant 
passage, anchored, on the afternoon of the 28th, off the city of 
Lisbon, Portugal Found in the harbor the Canandaigua, Ti- 
eonderoga, Shamrock, and Guard." 

Here ends the Admiral's journal. 

The cruise was continued to Gibraltar, ]S"ovember 24 ; Carta- 
gena, December 5 ; Port Mahon, Minorca, December 19 ; Tou- 
lon, January 7, 1868 ; Spezia, February 4 ; Naples, March 5 ; 
Messina, April T ; S}Tacuse, April 10 ; Malta, April 12 ; Lis- 
bon, April 28 ; Flushing, Holland, June 4 ; Ostend, Belgium, 
June 21 ; Southampton, England, June 24 ; Cowes, July 16 ; 
Gibraltar, Spain, July 27 ; Syra, Greece, August 5 ; Smyrna, 
Turkey, August 6 ; Chanak, August 12 ; Constantinople, Au- 
gust 21 ; Athens, August 31 ; Trieste, September 14 ; Gibral- 
tar, October 7. 

Farragut's incomplete account of this cruise is well supple- 
mented by that of Major James E. Montgomery, Secretary to 
the Admiral, from whose very full notes I take the following : 

" Early on the morning of Easter Sunday the Franklin en- 
tered the harbor of Yaletta, the capital of the island of Malta, 
and was shortly afterward moored near the English iron-clad 
squadron, commanded by Yice- Admiral Lord Clarence Paget. 

" The appearance of this famous old roadstead is very for- 
midable, and, judging from the number and position of the for- 
tresses and batteries bearing upon it, may be considered almost 
impregnable against an attack from sea. 

" Owing to the day, the customary saluting was postponed 
by mutual understanding until the morrow ; but, in the mean 
time, our entree was most beautifully enlivened by the band 
upon the Caledonia greeting us with the familiar strains of the 
' Star-Spangled Banner,' to which we immediately responded 
with ' God Save the Queen,' which invariably brings a smile to 
the austere countenance of the most dignified Britisher that ever 
wore the scarlet or the blue. 



AN ENGLISH SQUADRON. 511 

" As soon as moored, tlie Admiral was visited by the United 
States Consul, Mr. William Winthrop, wlio was profuse in his 
greetings, and informed our chief that very extensive prepa- 
rations had been set on foot in Malta to give him a brilliant 
reception. The Admiral smiled, as one who finds himself in 
the hands of enthusiastic admirers, and calmly awaited the 
ordeal. 

" Mr. Winthrop has done the honors as American Consul in 
this port for nearly thu"ty-five years, having been appointed by 
President Jackson. 

" During the morning many of the ofiicers attended service 
in the English church, and in the afternoon Yice-Admiral Paget, 
and Rear- Admiral Henry Kellett, Superintendent of the Dock- 
yards, called upon Admiral Farragut, and enjoyed a most 
friendly meeting in the cabin. There were also on board at the 
same time large numbers of English soldiers ; and the red and 
blue mingled most fraternally, and in their greetings symbolized 
the very spirit of international cordiality. 

"Upon our arrival at this celebrated station, the English 
squadron, consisting of ten vessels, several of them iron-clad 
frigates, was ready to start on a cruise to the Levant ; but the 
day of its departure had been purposely delayed, in order that 
the commander and his officers might unite in the honors to be 
extended to Admiral Farragut. The fleet was very formidable, 
comprising the 

Iron-clad frigate Caledonia (flag-ship), 4,125 tons, Captain Gardner, 

Iron-clad frigate Lord Warden, . . 4,080 " Captain EoUand, 

Iron-clad frigate Lord Clyde, .... 4,067 " Captain Dew, 

Iron-clad frigate Caradoc, .... 676 " Com. Elpliinstone, 

Frigate Aretliusa, 3,141 " Com. Adeane, 

Frigate Endymion, 2,486 " Captain "Wake, 

Steam-sloop Psyche, 835 " Com. Sir F. Blackwood, 

Steam-sloop Wizard, Cora. P. J. Murray, 

Frigate Hibernia, 2,530 " Captain Norcock, 

Gunboat Tyrian, Com. Church, 

having an aggregate of about 23,000 tons and carrying 210 
guns, many of them of very heavy caliber. 



512 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

" Early on the following morning the grand passage of na- 
tional compliments commenced, and was pretty generally con- 
tinued throughout the day. 

" At eleven o'clock the Admiral, accompanied by his staff 
and the American Consul, Mr. Winthrop, left the flag-ship for 
the purpose of performing his oflacial duties by calling upon the 
Governor-General, Sir Patrick Grant, and, upon reaching the 
Custom-House Landing, was received by a guard of honor, con- 
sisting of a full company of the Royal Artillery, and by them 
escorted to the Palace, formerly the residence of the Grand 
Master of the Order of St. John. 

" Within this superb monument of former glory and present 
power, the Admiral was most kindly and cordially received by 
Sir Patrick and Lady Grant, and by them tendered the hospi- 
talities of the city. After a very pleasant interview and the 
most friendly greetings, the Governor escorted his guests through 
one or two of the grand corridors, richly embellished with scenes 
commemorative of the more important battles of the Order, and 
invited them to a more general examination of the building at 
such time as the Admiral might appoint. 

" Forcing himself away from all the interesting relics which 
were strewn profusely around in that historic museum, the Ad- 
miral led the way with the delighted Consul to the really pala- 
tial residence of Vice-Admiral Lord Clarence Paget, a worthy 
successor of the gallant Knights of Malta who once tenanted 
that magnificent building, where our entire party received a 
most cordial welcome from the hospitable master himself and 
his highly accomplished consort. Lady Paget, and were made to 
feel so much at home that impressions of the pleasant visit are 
indelibly impressed upon our hearts, and recall the most agree- 
able reminiscences. 

" After passing a delightful hour or two with these noble 
specimens of the Saxon household, we were escorted by them 
to St. John's Cathedral, the principal temple of the Knights of 
Malta, and decidedly the most interesting souvenir on the island. 
It is alone worthy of a visit to that little sea-girt spot, and re- 
pays a very careful inspection. Everything within its somber 



VISIT AT MALTA. 513 

and massive walls speaks of an epoch of almost fabulous power. 
Along the rich mosaic pavement are the tombs of the Knights 
of the Order, their escutcheons disclosing their rank and record- 
ing their services; while the two aisles, extending along on 
either side of the nave, contain the various chapels of the 
Kniglits of Spain, Portugal, Austria, France, Bavaria, and Eng- 
land. 

" These, with the numerous superb mausoleums of Grand 
Masters, composed of bronze, copper, and marble, all showing 
the highest perfection of art, and the tombs of the famous La 
Valette, Pietro de Monte, and other chieftains, contained in the 
crypt, present the most beautifully illustrated history of this 
celebrated order, which, for more than two centuries and a half, 
not only held possession of the island against the most fierce 
and terrible assaults of the Turks, but sent its more famous 
commanders to extend its glory in Germany, Spain, Portugal, 
and other countries of Europe. 

" During the afternoon Governor-General Sir Patrick Grant 
returned the Admiral's visit, and was received on board the 
flag-ship with all the honors ; and in the evening a kind invita- 
tion to occupy his box at the opera was gladly accepted, and we 
had the pleasure of witnessing a very fair performance, in Ital- 
ian, of the sublime tragedy of ' Macbeth ' ; although it certainly 
seemed inhuman in the actors to sing over the ' taking off ' of 
the unfortunate Duncan. 

" Throughout the day the ship was fairly besieged with visi- 
tors, and pressing invitations from the different regiments of 
the garrison and private individuals were received, and accepted 
or declined by the Admiral, as his time and prior engagements 
demanded. 

" Our short sojourn within this rock-bound harbor clearly 
demonstrated the assurance that the Admiral's visit had been a 
long-expected and a devoutly wished-for event ; and, immedi- 
ately after our arrival, it became evident that extensive prepa- 
rations had been making for his reception, and that the desire 
to accord him a fitting welcome extended to officers of every 
rank in both branches of the service. 



514 



THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKKAGUT. 



" We subsequently learned tliat the anticipated ovations had 
become the subject of conversation in the club-houses and pri- 
vate residences, and that many plans were suggested to give 
eclat to the advent of the great American Admiral. 

" Fetes and reviews, dinners and dejeuners^ balls and ma- 
tinees had been determined upon, and our arrival in the harbor 
served as a signal for a general unmasking of the social batteries 
and their unfailing discharges in our behalf.'^ 

" To give additional pleasure to these hospitable overtures, 
there was an unusual amount of good feeling displayed by every 
one ; a general desire prevalent to act out the part of host. 

" A large number of the prominent officers of the garrison 
called, on the morning of April 14th, to pay their respects to 
Admiral Farragut, and, as soon as they had inspected the ship 
and departed, he paid an official visit to Rear- Admiral Kellett, 
and accompanied that officer upon a grand tour of examination 
of the immense dock-yard, which is capable of admitting the 
largest men-of-war. The result of this little j)romenade was 
very exhausting; but, as the Admiral has a most marvelous 
fondness for such things as appertain to his profession, every 
thought of fatigue vanished before the pleasure of the inspection. 

* As an evidence that this fellowship was not confined to a few, but extended 
among all classes of the population, I present a copy of some verses printed on 
half-sheets of paper, and distributed among the sailors on the evening after our 
arrival. 



Ho, brother, I'm a Britisher, 

A chip of " heart of oak," 
That would n't warp, or swerve, 
stir, 

From what I thought or spoke. 
And you, a blunt and honest man, 

Straightforward, kiud, and true — 
I tell you. Brother Jonathan, 

That you're a Briton too. 

I know your heart, an honest heart — 

I read your mind and will, 
A greyhound ever on the start, 

To run for honor still. 
And shrewd to scheme a likely plan, 

And stout to see it done — 
I tell you, Brother Jonathan, 

That you and I are one. 



" God Save the Queen " delights you still, 

And " British Grenadiers " ; 
The good old strains your heart-strings 
thrill. 

And catch you by the ears ; 
And we, oh, hate us if you can, 

For we are proud of you — 
We like you, Brother Jonathan, 

And " Yankee Doodle " too ! 

What more ? I touch not holier things, 

A loftier strain to win. 
Nor glance at prophets, priests, and kings, 

Or heavenly kith or kin. 
As friend with friend, and man with man, 

Oh lot our hearts be thus — 
As David's love to Jonathan, 

Be Jonathan's to us ! 



EEYIEW AT VALETTA. 515 

" In tlie afternoon, in company witli Ladj Grant, Mrs. Far- 
ragut, and Captain Grant, we made an excursion to San Anto- 
nio, tlie summer palace of the Governor, situated about four 
miles west of Yaletta, on the road to Cittd Yecchia, passing near 
the famous Grotto of St. Paul, in which, according to tradition, 
the zealous apostle, accompanied by his co-laborer, St. Luke, 
resided for three months. 

" On the same evening, with Mrs. Farragut and his staff, 
Admiral Farragut was very delightfully entertained at a grand 
banquet given in honor of his arrival by the Governor-General, 
Sir Patrick Grant. It was in all respects a most sixperh fete, 
and unusually elegant in its surroundings. The Admiral was 
received with aU the honors, the band of the palace performing 
our national airs as he entered, and the soldiers presenting arms. 
A large number of the prominent officers of the garrison were 
present on this happy occasion. The supper-table was artisti- 
cally arranged in the grand armory of the old Knights of Malta, 
which afforded an excellent opportunity for a leisurely inspec- 
tion of that intensely interesting apartment. It is an immense 
saloon, containing the armor, weapons, and armorial bearings 
of the old knights, and answers at the same time as an arsenal 
for the storage of large quantities of muskets, pistols, and other 
arms for the use of the garrison. 

"It would require an auctioneer to enumerate the seem- 
ingly endless list of relics which arrest the visitor's attention in 
that historic room, for any other voice would weary of recount- 
ing the suits of armor, the coats of mail, the cuirasses, the 
gauntlets, battle-axes, and old specimens of artillery, which 
speak eloquently of a bygone period of chivalry. 

" The succeeding day was quite an animated one through- 
out Yaletta, the streets being ahve with people flocking hither 
and thither to see the grand review ordered in honor of Admi- 
ral Farragut. 

" The first review took place in the morning, upon which 
occasion the entire naval brigade was in line, and presented an 
unusually fine appearance. The sailors turned out strong, and 
mancBuvred remarkably well, ehciting the highest commenda- 



516 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

tion from the Admiral, whose eye glanced with admiration 
along the marching columns of his brother tars. This was suc- 
ceeded at an early hour in the afternoon by a very imposing 
and brilliant review of all the troojDS comj)osing the garrison, 
by General Sir Patrick Grant, when about five thousand sol- 
diers appeared under arms, all of whom marched admirably, 
and showed the good effects of a rigid discipline. 

" The Admiral occupied an advanced position by the side 
of the reviewing officer, and received the salutes of the several 
regiments as they passed. 

" Some of the subsequent evolutions perfonned by them 
were executed with wonderful precision, the great aim of Eng- 
lish tactics being to unite evenness of alignment with steadiness 
of movement, and the effect was very fine and inspiriting to 
those who have a weakness for soldierly accomplishments. 

" A large concourse of citizens, numerous enough to cause 
one to believe that Valetta had been depopulated, surrounded 
the field occupied by the military, and united in the general 
acclamations which greeted the various evolutions. 

" In the evening Admiral and Mrs. Farragut, with the staff, 
were very handsomely entertained at dinner by Lord and Lady 
Clarence Paget, at which everything that could add to the gen- 
eral effect due to the presence of their guests was supj)lied with 
a most Kberal hand. 

" As we entered the house and passed up to the reception- 
room, the capacious hall was lined on either side with soldiers 
and sailors alternately placed, while the garrison band played 
our national airs as prettily as if the performers had an equal 
copartnership in them. 

" There were about thirty persons at the table, most of whom 
were naval officers, and toward the conclusion of the banquet 
Lord Paget made a few very eulogistic remarks about his distin- 
guished guest and the 'great country he represented,' which 
he knew so well, and proposed as a toast, ' The health of Admi- 
ral FaiTagut, whose reputation is European as well as American, 
and now belongs to the world.' 

" The Admiral was taken aback, as the sailors say, as he did 



EECEPTION ON THE FRANKLIN. SIT" 

not anticipate any sj^eecli-making ; but, nevertheless, he imme- 
diately rallied, formed in close column, and made a counter at- 
tack which left the field and its honors about equally divided. 
The entertainment was one of the most agreeable we had ever 
experienced, the host and hostess by their genuine hospitality 
and sparkling manner giving a freshness and pleasure to the 
scene which made every one feel contented with himself and all 
the world besides. 

"During the evening a brilliant reception w^s given, of 
which a large number of officers and prominent civilians availed 
themselves to pay their respects to the Admiral, who was the 
principal point of attack. The capacious saloons were all thrown 
open, presenting a charming suite, filled with the elite of the 
Maltese world, and a universal buzz rapidly succeeded the com- 
parative quiet of the dining-hall, which had so recently been the 
scene of the banquet. 

" Sir Patrick and Lady Grant were present with their daugh- 
ter ; also Rear- Admiral Kellett, C. B., who has the misfortune 
to be a bachelor; all the general and commanding officers of 
the brigades and regiments, and many of the leading members 
of the civil government. It was a most delightful reunion. 
'The iron tongue of midnight had tolled twelve' ere the 
pleasure-seekers separated and returned to their respective 
quarters. 

" The afternoon of the following day had been reserved 
by the Admiral for a return matinee on board the Franklin, 
and all the persuasions of the regimental officers could not in- 
duce him to abandon it, to dine with them or to accept atten- 
tions from any quarter. Although they told him that he 
was their guest, and that he was not expected to entertain 
them, he was inflexible as a rock, and insisted upon acknowl- 
edging their many kindnesses by a reception on his own float- 
ing tabernacle. 

" Upon this well-remembered occasion the Franklin was 
robed in most glorious and becoming colors. ISTo belle of the 
fashionable world ever felt prouder of her appearance, or antici- 
pated more confidently the sure conquest of some susceptible 



518 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

admirer, than did tlie Captain, the executive, and the deck offi- 
cers of their improvised ball-room, and the admiration it would 
excite among the expected guests. Captain Pennock's counte- 
nance was serenely pleasant ; and even the scrutinizing glance of 
the Chief of Staff failed to detect the slightest disarrangement 
in her dress. Lieutenant-Commander Pearson was forced to 
smile as his eye took a last survey of the whole ; and Manley, 
Coffin, Harris, and Hoff successively peeped above the hatch, 
commended the style of the ship's toilet, and then retired to 
their quarters to await the grand denoument. 

" Sir Patrick and Lady Grant, with their daughter, arrived 
early, and were received with a national salute, the band playing 
' God Save the Queen ' as they advanced along the deck. Lord 
and Lady Clarence Paget appeared soon afterward, and were re- 
ceived with similar honors. These were followed by Lord 
Houlton, Colonial Secretary, and Lady Houlton ; Pear- Admiral 
Kellett, C. B. ; Major-General Kidley and staff ; Major-General 
Atherley and staff ; Colonel Goodenough, commanding the Poy- 
al Artillery, and Mrs. Goodenough ; Colonel and Mrs. Dunford ; 
Colonel and Mrs. Eich ; Colonel and Mrs. Gubbins ; Colonel 
Woods ; Colonel and Mrs. Glyn ; Colonels Eager, Shute, and 
Lyon ; Major Hawley ; Baroness Damico ; Messrs. Walter Stew- 
art and Thornhill, Flag-Lieutenants to Admiral Paget ; Mr. and 
Mrs. Winthrop ; Mr. and Mrs. Eynaud, and a very large num- 
ber of the society-world of Yaletta. 

" The gay decks of the flag-ship soon became brilliant with 
glittering uniforms, the dashing scarlet of the English infantry- 
men contrasting beautifully with the navy blue of the royal artil- 
lery and the American line and staff. No ball-room on shore 
was ever more animated ; dancing was maintained without ces- 
sation for four hours ; not even the attractions of a sumptu- 
ous entertainment on the gun-deck enticing the Terpsichoreans 
from the enchanting galop or popular waltz; and when the 
hour for departure arrived, the delighted guests passed reluc- 
tantly over the gangway, leaving assurances of having enjoyed 
a most agreeable afternoon, and expressing the usual regrets 
that it was registered among the things that were. 



A GRAND BALL. 519 

" On the following morning tlie Archbishop of Malta paid 
an official visit to the Admiral ; and as soon as he left the ship, 
the latter called npon the commanding officers of all the Eng- 
lish vessels of war in the harbor ; after which, very agreeable 
visits were again made to Sir Patrick and Lady Grant, and Lord 
and Lady Paget. 

" The same evening, being the last of our sojourn in Malta, 
had been set apart by the officers of the Army and IS^avy for 
a grand ball in honor of Admiral Farragut, to be given at the 
Union Club- House, a very large building formerly owned by 
one of the Grand Masters, and specially adapted for entertain- 
ments of such magnitude. This proved a most superb scene 
in our closing act, and was well calculated to impress Malta 
and her people most firmly upon the memory. The street im- 
mediately in front of the building was lined on either side by 
a regiment of soldiers, and as the Admiral approached the en- 
trance they presented arms, and their band performed our na- 
tional melodies. The large vestibule and halls adjoining were 
beautifully decorated with flags of various devices, and the cor- 
ridors and stairway, besides being handsomely embellished, were 
lined with soldiers and sailors alternately placed; the former 
presenting with the musket and the latter with the cutlass. 

" Upon entering the grand saloon, which was magnificently 
festooned with the ensigns of England and America in most 
fraternal embrace, the band struck up ' Hail Columbia,' when 
the audience arose and received the city's guest with all the 
honors. He was then presented to all the members of the com- 
mittee, and the festivities were speedily inaugurated by the 
formation of the quadrille of honor, in which the Admiral and 
Mrs. Farragut, Sir Patrick and Lady Grant, and Lord and Lady 
Paget participated with all the energy of modern dancers. It 
seems hke the repetition of a twice-told tale to describe the 
gay scene which followed as a most brilliant one. It can bet- 
ter be imagined, as a beautiful and graceful tribute to our great 
naval hero, a captivating testimonial to his cosmopolitan reputa- 
tion, and a well- remembered period of pleasure to aU those who 
participated in its enjoyments. 



520 TEE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

" Early in the following morning, when all felt more or less 
visionary and unsettled, according to the extent of the dissipa- 
tion of the preceding evening, preparations were on foot for 
our departure from Yaletta. The attentive Consul, anxious to 
see the last of a visitor who had done so much to glorify his 
country, came on board before ' one bell,' and was soon fol- 
lowed by Yice-Admiral Paget and staff, and Rear-Admiral 
Kellett. Lord Paget visited the ship not only to bid a friendly 
adieu to Admiral Farragut, but to complete the necessary ar- 
rangements to give him a parting review ere they separated 
outside the harbor ; his own squadron being then ready to start 
on a cruise to the Levant. As soon as the plan proposed was 
thoroughly understood, all parties retired to their respective 
posts, and immediately thereafter the flag-ship got under way 
and stood out to sea, preceded by the Frolic and Ticonderoga; 
the commanding ofiicers of these vessels having orders to fall 
into line as soon as we were suflSciently far from land to execute 
the movement. 

" At the same time we were followed by all the vessels of 
the English fleet, and the wharves and batteries, house-tops, and 
prominent points along the quay being lined with spectators 
waving handkerchiefs and caps, and cheering most lustily, the 
scene became thrilling and inspiriting beyond description. 

" As soon as the Franklin was fairly outside the capes, she 
was hove to in a very heavy sea, and the entire English squad- 
ron passed close along our starboard beam in review ; the rig- 
ging of each vessel being manned with sailors cheering most 
wildly, and their bands successively playing ' Hail Columbia ' or 
the ' Star-Spangled Banner ' ; to each of which we responded 
with cheer for cheer, and with the softer strains of ' God Save 
the Queen.' 

"The Caledonia, the flag-ship of the English commander, 
passed ahead, having the van in that great line of frigates, and 
was followed successively by the Lord Warden, Lord Clyde, 
Endymion, Arethusa, and Tyi'ian ; the Swedish corvette Gefle, 
Captain Rosengren, who was accompanying Admiral Paget's 
fleet, bringing up the rear ; while the Psyche, with Admiral 



AT FLUSHING. 521 

Kellett and a large number of ladies and gentlemen on board, 
sported around the Franklin and waved many kind adieus. 

" When all had passed, Admiral Paget hoisted the American 
ensign at the main, and fired a salute of seventeen guns in honor 
of Admiral Farragut ; and then made a beautiful flank move- 
ment, bearing up in line abreast for the eastward, hoisting Mar- 
ryat's signal, ' Bon voyage ' ; to which several compliments we 
replied, gun for gun, with the flag of St. George at our mast- 
head, and ' The same to you ' from the signal-book, and thus, as 
the Admiral says in his oflicial report, ' terminated one of the 
most agreeable visits of our cruise.' 

" During the review the sea ran very high, under the influ- 
ences of a blustering nor'wester ; and, as the several large 
masses of wood and iron plunged and pitched, at one moment 
diving under the trough of the agitated waters, and at another 
raising their long rams on the very crest of the wave, the effect 
was very striking. 

" The Lord Clyde passed so close to the Franklin that an 
active sailor could have almost leaped from one to the other ; 
and Mrs. Farragut, fearing a collision, and not admiring the 
long iron peak which threatened destruction, retreated hastily 
to the port cabin, and there calmly awaited the result of the 
impending catastrophe. 

" The English squadron, having a most favorable wind, soon 
made sail, and under full canvas bounded away to the eastward 
and gradually disappeared from view ; while the martyr Frank- 
lin, with her consorts, headed westwardly, and, with sails closely 
furled, tried the contest of steam against wind, and slowly bore 
away from the hospitable shores of that formidable way station 
on the Mediterranean. . . . 

" Admiral Farragut returned to his flag-ship, still lying off 
Flushing, the special object of admiration to the Ketherlanders, 
on the 20th of June ; and His Majesty King Leopold having 
expressed an earnest desire to visit the ship off Ostend, he at 
once notified our Minister, Mr, Sanford, that, if agreeable to 
the King, he would be happy to receive him on board off that 
place on the morning of the 22d instant. 



522 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAEEAGUT. 

" Accompanied by the Ticonderoga, he sailed from Flushing 
on the 21st, and early on the following morning arrived off 
Ostend, when every preparation was speedily made to receive 
the royal visitors. 

" On this occasion the fates seemed to have taken up arms 
against us, and we experienced the first bad weather upon a 
reception-day. The fountains of heaven were literally opened, 
and the rain came down in pitiless toiTents ; yet, notwithstand- 
ing this unpropitious omen, their Majesties of Belgium, attended 
by the ladies in waiting, the King's suite, foreign ministers, and 
Mr. and Mrs. Sanford, heroically braved the storm, and fulfilled 
their mission with an indifference which savored very strongly 
of the very attribute of royalty. When within a short distance 
of the flag-ship, the King and Queen were transferred to the 
Admiral's bai'ge and conveyed to the frigate, and upon passing 
over the starboard gangway were received with royal honors, 
the yards of the Franklin and the Ticonderoga being manned, 
and national salutes fired by both vessels. 

"Upon appearing on deck, their Majesties were cordially 
received by Admiral and Mrs. Farragut and all the officers, en 
grcmde tenue ; and, while the band was quietly discoursing the 
Belgian national air, they were escorted through the ship, which 
seemed to interest them more than usual, from the fact that 
their own kingdom does not boast a navy. 

"After visiting the various decks and engine-room, the 
crew were exercised for the edification of the royal inspectors ; 
and the weather having suddenly changed its intentions and 
favored us with a brilliant atmosphere, a target was thrown 
overboard, conducted to a respectable distance, and fired at by 
both ships. Fortunately for our reputation as marksmen of 
Daniel Boone accuracy, the practice was remarkably fine, and 
the target received a battering which would have sent the big- 
gest iron-clad to her last resting-place in the deep, deep sea, 
long before the shattered barrels ceased to show their wi'ecks 
above the water. 

" His Majesty, accompanied by Admiral Farragut, then vis- 
ited the Ticonderoga, and thoroughly examined that model ship, 



A VISIT FROM KING LEOPOLD. 523 

whose discipline and order coiTld not be surpassed ; and after 
returning to tlie flag-ship, the royal party partook of refresh- 
ments in the Admiral's cabin, and talked unreservedly of the 
great pleasure derived from their visit, and of their high appre- 
ciation of the greatness of the nation so well represented off 
their coast. 

" After remaining on board for nearly four hours, and by 
their friendly and genial manner attaching to themselves all 
with whom they were brought in contact, the royal visitors re- 
luctantly took their departure, leaving the flag-ship with the 
same honors with which they had been greeted, the yards being 
manned, salutes fired, and the band performing their national 
melody. 

*' Before returning to Ostend, the royal yacht, freighted 
with the head of a kingdom, passed around the Franklin, those 
on board cheering and receiving cheers, waving adieus, and re- 
ceiving glad acknowledgments ; after which, she disappeared in 
the misty outline of the coast, the flag-ship resumed her repub- 
lican simplicity, and her officers mused, under the narcotic in- 
fluences of the popular weed, upon their associations with 
royalty. 

" On the following morning, accompanied by the Ticonde- 
roga, the Franklin was placed on her course for Southampton, 
and arrived off that city early on the 24:th of June, anchoring 
opposite the great naval hospital, and in full view of the noble 
ruins of Netley Abbey on one side and of the extensive plains 
of the ISTew Forest directly opposite. 

" The Swatara was at anchor in the bay, and the Canandai- 
gua had been expected from Toulon ; but, learning by telegram 
that she would be delayed for several days, the Admiral yielded 
to the importunities of his restless suite, and consented to join 
in a pilgrimage to the ' land o' cakes and usquebaugh,' the home 
of his maternal ancestry. 

" With this object in view, he took French leave of his flag- 
ship on the morning of June 26th, and, accompanied by Mrs. 
Farragut, Mrs. Pennock, and his staff, turned his face north- 
ward, and, after passing through London, York (where a stop 
34 



524 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

was made to examine the splendid cathedral and old castle), and 
over a country rich in agricultural development, reached the 
beautiful city of Edinburgh, where, owing to the absence of all 
cliplomats and consuls, he was permitted the rare enjoyment of 
being the second ' great unknown ' in the very atmosphere of 
him who once bore that mysterious title. 

" Our sojourn in the metropolis of Scotland extended over 
several days, during which period we became deeply interested 
in its many associations with ancient and modern times. The 
' tragical-historical ' Palace of Holyrood, replete with memories 
of Mary Stuart, was a Mecca to us ; and, thence passing along 
the old Canongate to the famous Castle, with Mons Meg 
perched on its summit, we were shown the ' Heart of Midlo- 
thian,' the house and home of John Knox, the old Tolbooth, 
and many other places immortalized by the author of ' Waverley.' 

" Before leaving Scotland we followed the footsteps of all 
modern travelers, and made a rapid tour to the home of Sir 
Walter Scott ; stopping first at Melrose Abbey, to meditate 
within its stately ruins over the tombs of the Black Douglas 
and Sir Michael Scott, and then continuing on to Abbotsford, 
where we remained several hours, enjoying a spirit association 
with the late gifted proprietor, whose relics are there jealously 
preserved. The Admiral was specially delighted with the long 
rifle and the leathern purse of the famous Kob Roy, and de- 
rived more satisfaction in recalling the freebooter's exploits 
than in listening to the stories of jeweled gifts even from the 
great Napoleon. 

" From this interesting home we drove to Dryburgh Abbey, 
within the crumbling, ivy-crowned walls of which majestic ruin 
slumber the remains of the author of ' "Waverley.' It is a love- 
ly spot on the banks of the gentle Tweed, and is alone an ample 
recompense for a visit to Scotland. 

" Leaving Edinburgh, the Admiral and his suite pursued a 
westward course, and, passing by Bannockburn and Stirling 
Castle, took the delightful route through Lochs Katrine, Awe, 
Yenachar, and Lomond, to Glasgow ; having a superb view of 
the Trosachs, and the entire country so beautifully described in 



m GLASGOW. 525 

the ' Lady of tlie Lake ' ; and reaching the great commercial city 
on the same evening. 

" Shortly after arriving in Glasgow, he was officially visited 
by the American Consul, General Dufi, who in the course of 
the morning presented, in accordance with their own request, 
the corporate authorities of the city. These, having been in- 
formed of the contemplated visit of the naval hero to their 
metropolis, had at once resolved to call in a body and present 
him a fitting welcome. From these gentlemen the Admiral 
received every attention during his short sojourn in that great 
commercial emporium, and was escorted by them to all places 
of interest within reach, and to the immense ship-yards of 
Messrs. Napier & Sons, and Eandolph, Elder & Co., in both of 
which he was received with a cordiality exceedingly gratifying." 

In his official report upon tliis visit the Admiral says : 

" These yards are very extensive, having many vessels on 
the stocks, there being in the latter no less than thirteen, 
amounting to upward of 24,000 tons. What particularly inter- 
ested me was, to see the varieties in building. Some were en- 
tirely of iron ; some, iron frames with wooden stem and stern- 
post, and wooden planking. . . . There were also two armor- 
plated frigates, and a vessel of war on Coles's turreted principle, 
differing only in bringing the deck flush with the base of the 
turret, which made a height of ten or eleven feet between 
decks. . . . Mr. Napier and Mr. Elder were very kind in show- 
ing us everything in their respective dock-yards, and I feel 
much indebted to them for their great courtesy. Mr. Napier 
extended me an invitation to be present at the official trial trip 
of a ram built by his firm for the Dutch Government, which, 
unfortunately, I did not receive in time ; and before leaving 
kindly sent me photographic views of many of the best vessels 
he had constructed." 

" "Within these professional precincts Admiral Farragut was 
in his element, and it was with great difficulty that he could be 
persuaded to return to his hotel, to partake of a very sumptuous 



526 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

entertainment prepared by tlie authorities. Upon this happy 
occasion he had an oj)portunity of expressing his thanks to the 
officials who surrounded him, not only for the pleasure they 
had given him in offering so many facilities for \ isiting the 
chief points of interest in their great city, but for the very flat- 
tering manner in which they had spoken of his country, and 
extended him so much kindness and hospitality as its represen- 
tative. 

" After the interchange of friendly sentiments to an extent 
which might have caused Dominie Sampson to exclaim, ' Pro- 
digious ! ' the parties separated for the night, mutually pleased 
with the international courtesies which had been the order of 
the day. 

" On the following morning, the Admiral, having learned 
by telegram of the arrival of the Canandaigua, made a hasty 
exit from Glasgow, and proceeded to Southampton, stopping en 
rmite at Oxford, simply to rest from the fatigue of the long 
railway journey of four hundred good English miles. 

" On the morning of July 10th Admiral Farragut proceeded 
to London, to attend a banquet given by Mr. Bierstadt to Pro- 
fessor Henry W. Longfellow. 

" During his temporary absence the Pranklin was officially 
visited by Prince Alfred, commanding her Majesty's ship Ga- 
latea, who was most cordially received by Commodore Pennock 
and Captain Le Roy. Until the officer of the deck pohtely 
requested to know what name he should announce to the Com- 
modore, and received for a response ' the Duke of Edinburgh,' 
he had not supposed that he was addi'essing a scion of the royal 
household ; for the watchful Quartermaster had simply reported 
' an EngHsh Captain coming alongside, sir,' and the officer, rec- 
ognizing but the naval rank, had received him accordingly, and 
then smiled at his indifference. 

" The good-natured and very popular Prince seemed rather 
to enjoy the joke, and, after remaining some time on board, 
examining the frigate very carefully, and conversing freely with 
the officers escorting him about the recent improvements in gun- 
nery, took friendly leave, at the same time inviting the Admiral, 



A VISIT FROM THE PEINCE OF WALES. 527 

his commanding officers, and staff to dine with him on the 12th 
inst., on board the Galatea. 

" On his return from London, Admiral Farragut found the 
following communication awaiting a reply : 

" ' Town Clerk's Office, 
" ' Southampton^ July 7th, 1868. 

" ' SiK : I am directed by the Mayor and Corporation to con- 
vey to you their extreme pleasure at your arrival at this port 
with the squadron under your command. 

" ' The Mayor and Corporation, ever anxious to pay every 
tribute of respect and esteem to the great nation represented by 
you on the present occasion, request you and the officers under 
yom* command will honor them by attending a municipal enter- 
tainment in celebration of your arrival at this port. 

" ' The Mayor and Corporation trust it will be convenient 
and agreeable for you to accept the present invitation ; and 
they desire me to add, that they will be most happy to consult 
your convenience as to the day upon which the entertainment 
should take place. 

" ' I have the honor to remain, sir, 

" ' Your most obedient servant, 

" ' Chaeles E. Deacon, 

" ' Town Clerk. 

" ' To AdMIBAL FAEEAaiTT.' 

" The Admiral replied at once to this tender of a compli- 
mentary dinner, stating that his official duties would not per- 
mit him to accept the invitation ; otherwise he would be most 
happy to meet the civil authorities in the manner proposed. 

" During the same evening he also received a letter from 
Captain Arrow, E. N"., informing him that the Prince of Wales 
desired to visit him on the following day, if the time specified 
would be agreeable. Accordingly, on the morning of the 14th 
the flag-ship was placed in readiness to receive any and every 
sovereign in Europe with the most smiling welcome, and at ten 
o'clock the royal yacht Victoria and Albert was announced 



528 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

alongside, and immediately thereafter the Prince, accompanied 
by his brother, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Duke of Saxe- 
Cobourg, came on board, and was received with all the honors 
due to his rank, the yards being manned and a salute of twenty- 
one guns fired, with the royal standard floating at the main, and 
the band playing ' God Save the Queen.' The Prince visited 
all parts of the ship, and appeared much delighted with the 
inspection (for the Franklin certainly looked as neat and trim 
as rubbing and scrubbing could make her) ; and on his de- 
parture the same honors were repeated. 

" On the same day the Admiral received a very kind note 
from the Earl of Hardwicke, residing near Netley Abbey, 
which is so characteristic of the sailor that I can not with- 
hold its insertion. 

" ' 13th July, Sydney Lodge. 

" ' Admiral the Earl of Hardwicke presents his compliments 
to Admiral Farragut, and begs to say that he is now resident 
at the above address. He is lame, and has difficulty in board- 
ing ship, or he should wait in person on Admiral Farragut. 

" ' The Earl of Hardwicke hopes that he may be able in 
some way to gain Admiral Farragut's friendship. 
" ' Admieal Faebagxjt, U. S. Navy.' 

" The Admiral waived ceremony, ' stood not upon the order 
of going,' but went at once, with his staff, to Sydney Lodge, 
where he was most cordially welcomed, and tendered a jDublic 
dinner, which he was compelled to decline by reason of his 
anticipated departure. 

" On the morning of the 16th a large party visited the ship, 
and made themselves and the officers unusually happy for sev- 
eral hours, or until the arrival of Mr. Moran, our Chay^ge 
6? Affaires at London, when orders went forth to prepare for 
a change of base, which was the signal for their reluctant de- 
parture. 

" Late in the afternoon the Franklin got under way, and, 
followed by the Canandaigua and Ticonderoga, proceeded down 
to Cowes, Isle of Wight, the headquarters of the yacht-clubs, 



A VISIT TO QUEEN VICTORIA. 529 

where we anchored between the Galatea, commanded by the 
Duke of Edinburgh, and the iron-clad frigate Hector, exchang- 
ing with the latter a complimentary salute of seventeen guns. 

" On the succeeding day, in accordance with previous ar- 
rangements. Admiral Farragut, accompanied by Mr. Moran, the 
commanders of the vessels, and part of his staff, went on board 
the Galatea, and was received with all honors, and cordially 
welcomed by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke of Saxe- 
Cobourg. TJpon the subject of this visit the Admiral becomes 
very eloquent : 

" ' The Prince invited us to go round his ship, which we 
did with great pleasure, and found her a model vessel, both 
in arrangement, ventilation, and cleanliness; nothing could 
have surpassed her in any of these respects. In fact, there was 
nothing that did not bespeak the untiring vigilance and indus- 
try of the executive officers, as well as the supervision of her 
commander. 

" ' She was open for inspection from stem to stern, and from 
the keelson up, and in every way reflected the greatest credit 
upon her officers ; while the readiness with which the Prince 
asked questions in relation to similar arrangements in our ISTavy, 
and made comparison with theirs, showed that he was well 
posted in all the details of the naval service.' 

" TJpon concluding this inspection, the American visitors par- 
took of a most elegant lunch, and then accompanied the Duke 
to Osborne House, stopping en route to examine the royal yacht 
Victoria and Albert, a model of. naval architecture. Upon 
reaching the royal country residence, they were presented to 
her Majesty, and by her received most courteously — all the 
glittering surroundings of royalty being concealed entirely be- 
neath the domestic comforts of the faithful wife and devoted 
mother. 

" After a very pleasant interview, during which her Majesty 
conversed freely with the Admiral about our country, in which 
she manifested deep interest, the party withdrew, and were 
chaperoned by Prince Alfred to various parts of the model 
farm, and to the museum and other buildings^ including a 



530 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

carpenter-shop and turning-room, fitted up for the pleasure and 
instruction of the youthful scions of the family during the life- 
time of their father. 

" Altogether this visit was one of intense pleasure and inter- 
est, and revealed much of that home-life which is the charm 
and boast of the mother country, whose people, far less pro- 
gressive than their go-ahead descendants, understand the value 
of life, and enjoy it most rationally and comfortably. 

" On the following morning the Admiral, witli Mrs. Yar- 
ragut, Mrs. Pennock, and Major Montgomery, made a short 
excursion inland to Carisbrooke Castle, and returned through 
Osborne grounds to the frigate, where he arrived just in time 
to receive an official visit from the Mayor and corporate authori- 
ties of Southampton, who were shortly afterward followed by 
the Duke of Saxe-Cobourg, Prince Christian, and Admirals 
Pasley and Warden, all of whom were complimented with the 
customary salutes as they respectively passed over the gang- 
way. 

" During the same afternoon he received a package from 
the Duke of Edinburgh, containing three large pictures of the 
Queen, Prince Albert, and himself, accompanied with the fol- 
lowing note : 

" ' H. M. S. Galatea, 
•' ' Coices, 18th July, 1868. 

" ' My deak Admiral : You told me yesterday that you had 
no good portrait of the Queen. I therefore send you a print of 
her Majesty, which I hope you will accept as a remembrance 
of your visit yesterday. I also send a print of my father, and 
one of myself. Should I not have the pleasure of seeing you 
again before you sail, I wish you a pleasant continuation to your 
cruise, and a safe return home. 

" ' Believe me, 

" ' Yours very truly, 

" ' Alfred.' 

" The Admiral gladly received these testimonials, and care- 
fully stored them away among his valuables, and wrote the 



THE HOME OF HIS ANCESTORS. 531 

Prince immediately, tlianking liim for liis very acceptable pres- 
ent. 

" Orders had been issued to prepare for sea on the morrow. 
Everything was full of preparation, and, as our course had 
been decided upon, we had but to muse over past pleasures and 
anticipate the changes incident to such an extended cruise as the 
one upon which we were about to sail. The mail-bag that 
night was laden with farewells for friends at home, and with 
assurances of further correspondence from the Golden Horn." 

Not the least interesting part of this cruise was the visit to 
Spain. The Admiral was presented to Queen Isabella, and 
renewed his acquaintance with the Countess Montijo (mother of 
Empress Eugenie), with whom he had danced fifty years before 
at Malaga. 

A remarkable ovation was given him on the island of Mi- 
norca, one of the Balearic group. During his many visits to 
Port Mahon in his midshipman days, he had received messages 
from persons living in the interior of the island, who claimed 
relationship. He had never accepted any of these invitations, 
perhaps from a boyish indifference on his part, and it was only 
in later life that his interest in the matter became awakened. 
In an old Spanish book, the poems of Mossen Jaime Febrer, 
sent to him by the late George Ticknor, he read the account of 
his ancestor, Pedro Ferragut, which is given in the first chapter 
of the present volume. Several escutcheons belonging to the 
family, all containing the distinguishing horseshoe, have the 
addition of ecclesiastical and military emblems, showing that 
there were descendants of Pedro in the various professions. 
The Admiral adopted this device for the adornment of his 
plate, as a mere fancy. The simplicity of his life attests too 
well that it was far from his desire to be pretentious, and he re- 
marked that he " was not under particular obligations to any of 
his ancestors for his good fortune." 

On reaching Port Mahon, he found that his name and suc- 
cesses had preceded him, and the quiet islanders claimed him as 
their own. A deputation of citizens waited on him, with an 



532 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

invitation to visit Ciudadella, the capital city, which was the 
birthplace of his father. Major Montgomery, who accompanied 
the Admiral and his party on this visit, thus describes it : 

" The day after Christmas had been designated by the Ad- 
miral for his promised visit to Ciudadella, in response to the 
cordial invitation of the authorities and j)eople of that city. 
The news of this tour of pleasure had spread rapidly to all parts 
of the island, and occasioned a general rest from labor and a 
popular concentration upon the lines of travel. At the towns 
of Alayor and Mercadal, flocks of people of both sexes had 
assembled on the road-side to unite with the authorities in ten- 
dering our naval chieftain a cordial welcome, and in expressing 
their delight at his advent. 

" Although unable to accept the offers of hospitality which 
even in these unpretending villages were showered upon him, 
the Admiral heartily acknowledged the gratification he felt at 
their demonstrations of personal regard, and, passing along the 
excited lines, he underwent a siege of hand-shaking. At these 
points and elsewhere along the route, soldiers had been stationed 
to pay him proper honors, and to tender him any assistance he 
might require throughout his journey. 

" On his arrival within four miles of Ciudadella, he was for- 
mally received by the Alcalde, and a large committee, com- 
prising many prominent citizens, tendered the hospitalities of the 
city, and cordially welcomed him as its guest. After a brief 
interchange of courtesies, he was transferred to a very handsome 
barouche, and conducted forward in the van of a quite formi- 
dable-looking procession, demonstrations of every kind increas- 
ing as he approached this ancient capital of Minorca, the pres- 
ent residence of many of those who prefer the quiet seclusion 
of their island home to the more dazzling notoriety incident to 
many of the older and gayer provinces of the mainland. Out- 
side the walls of the city his appearance was no sooner heralded 
than masses of people of every age, sex, and condition rushed 
forward to greet him, filling the air with cheers and acclama- 
tions. As he passed the gates of the city, the walls, house-tops, 



AN OVATION IN MINOKOA. 533 

and balconies were crowded with anxious spectators, uniting 
demonstrations of welcome with equally expressive shouts from 
the swaying multitude who had taken possession of the princi- 
pal thoroughfares. One old man of three score years and ten, 
with tears streaming down his weather-beaten face, stamped 
sincerity itself upon the nature of the welcome by shouting 
aloud, ' He is ours ! he is ours ! but I shall never see him more.' 

" The avenue leading to the residence of Signor Don Gabriel 
Squella, which had been kindly placed by that gentleman at 
the disposal of the Admiral and his suite, was literally blocked 
with people, and the excitement rose rapidly to fever heat as 
the head of the column appeared in view endeavoring to make 
a breach in a body absolutely closed in mass. It was with no 
little difficulty that the procession forced a passage ; and although 
policemen did their utmost, and jostled, crowded, and threat- 
ened, accompanying their language with all the vocabulary of 
Spanish expletives, it was found necessary to disembark at some 
distance from the hospitable mansion, and trust to the humanity 
of our entertainers to afford an entrance on foot. But the tem- 
porary concealment of the Admiral within the delightful head- 
quarters which had been assigned him seemed to be the signal 
for a renewed outburst, which brought him to the balcony, upon 
which he stood bowing his thanks, and acknowledging in every 
possible way his heartfelt appreciation of the cordial welcome 
extended him ; until it appeared that there was no prospect of 
a cessation of hostilities, when, for the first time in his life, he 
was persuaded to retreat in the face of superior numbers. 

" The excitement continued unabated, however, throughout 
the entire evening, and it was not until near midnight that the 
crowd slowly dispersed, and the peaceful little city of Ciuda- 
della resumed its wonted quiet, and its order-loving citizens, 
unaccustomed to all such sounds of revelry by night, retired to 
their own little homesteads. 

" During this time, a fine band of music was stationed in 
the capacious vestibule on the first floor of Signor Squella's 
mansion, and almost all the prominent citizens of the place, 
with their families, called to pay their respects to the city's 



534 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

guest, making the scene of excitement within as pleasant as 
that without was tumultuous. 

" On the following morning, enthusiasm arose with the sun, 
once more took firm possession of the street fronting the head- 
quarters of the Admiral, and there kept anxious watch. I am 
confident that, had there been an election that day for Governor 
of the Balearic Islands, or for King of Spain itself, the Admi- 
ral would have been chosen without opposition. 

"At an early hour, accompanied by his entire suite, all sur- 
rounded and followed by an admiring and excited throng, he 
was escorted by the committee and other citizens to all the 
places of interest in and about the city, and finally to the Ca- 
thedral, in which he had scarcely been seated before it was 
literally packed in every part by people, their hundreds of eyes 
being riveted upon the pleasant countenance of the unappalled 
Admiral, who withstood the onslaught with as much sangfroid 
as if accustomed to such trying ordeals. 

" Soon after, the great organ pealed forth our own national 
melodies, recalling our far-off land even to those whose knowl- 
edge of its power and glory was limited to its history, and the 
sparse information derived from the few Americans who have 
visited this secluded city." 

Italy did her share in the general ovation, and the visit to 
her sunny shores forms another bright chapter in the narrative 
of the cruise. At Florence the Admiral was the guest of Vic- 
tor Emanuel. At Eome, he received the blessing of Pius IX., 
who remarked that, " of all men, he had a most enviable repu- 
tation." 

Major Montgomery gives an interesting account of the at- 
tentions received by the Admiral at ^Naples, and the visit to 
Pompeii : 

" On the third day after our arrival, the Admiral, with Mrs. 
Farragut, Mrs. Pennock, and the officers of the squadron in 
port, were invited by Senator Fiorelli, Superintendent of the 
Museums of I^aples and Pompeii, to be present on the 12th 



A VISIT TO POMPEII. 535 

instant, at the excavation of a chamber in the house once ten- 
anted by Signor Balbo, or, as he used to be called while living, 
Balbus, in the latter city. The work in that edifice of the par- 
tially resurrected town had been delayed in consequence of the 
anticipated visit of the Admiral ; and, as there was at that time a 
perfect colony of Americans in and around l^aples, the occasion 
was readily embraced by them to tender their great representa- 
tive a grand entertainment, to be given in the Stabian Thei-mse, 
where the luxurious Pompeians were wont to pass hours in re- 
freshing enjoyment. 

" The day appointed happened to be a most favorable one, 
and all the American world in those parts attended the novel 
celebration. Special cars were provided, with the American 
colors flying, and, accompanied by Senator FiorelK, Admiral 
Provana, a large number of officers, and representatives from 
our own happy land in gay profusion, the steam-horse conveyed 
the excursionists rapidly over Herculaneum to her quiet sister 
city of the dead, and then repeopled her streets with the aston- 
ished citizens of another clime — ^the inhabitants of a world be- 
yond the great sea. 

" On reaching the gates of the city, the excursionists formed 
a long procession, inspecting many objects of interest as they 
advanced, the band of the Second Eegiment playing the na- 
tional airs ; and, on arri\dng within the capacious Fomm, they 
improvised a mass-meeting around the coenaculum, and there, 
where the city senators once discussed the affairs of Pompeii, 
the Admiral was cordially welcomed, in behalf of the Italian 
Government, by Admiral Provana ; then, by Messrs. W. H. 
Aspinwall and Smith Clift, members of the committee of ar- 
rangements, introduced to all the Americans present — a process 
which occupied a considerable period, from the number of ap- 
pHcants for a greeting. 

" Upon the conclusion of this ceremonial they were con- 
ducted to the private residence of the lamented Balbo, where 
the pick-axe and the spade were soon at work, restoring to the 
light of the nineteenth century the privacy of a chamber which 
had been buried with scoriae and pumice-stone for nearly 1,800 



536 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

years. The apartment, being small, was soon cleared, and re- 
vealed various articles of houseliold furniture equal to tliose of 
modern times ; numerous loaves of home-made bread, consid- 
erably overdone ; and several human skeletons, which Surgeon 
Foltz examined critically, and declared them to have been 
women — drawing his conclusions, in a complimentary manner, 
from the smallness of the feet and the symmetry of the frame. 
It was observed, however, that one skull had an unusually heavy 
projection of the lower cheek-bone, and a would-be wag re- 
marked that ' that man must have been a lawyer, from the re- 
markable extent of his jaw.' 

"When the chamber had been cleared of the dust of its 
eighteen centuries, and received once more the breath of life, 
the guests proceeded to the Thermae, where a very sumptuous 
entertainment had been provided by the American residents, 
the committee consisting of Messrs. Aspinwall, Clift, W. H. 
Allen, C. ]Sr. Beach, Captain Charles Hunter, Dr. A. Hayes, 
Professor J. F. Frazer, Hon. George P. Marsh, and Messrs. B. 
F. Breeden, T. Roessle, Charles T. Howe, and John C. Jay. 

" Within these old walls, rich with frescoes, some as fresh 
as on the day they were painted, the delighted Americans passed 
several hours most agreeably, dancing in the very halls which 
once reflected the happy faces of the epicurean Pompeians, the 
lively strains of a magnificent band echoing strangely among 
the surrounding temples and ruins. 

" The festivities were kept up until the brilliant light on 
Mount Vesuvius revealed the approaching shades of night, 
when the actors returned to Naples and Son-ento, delighted 
with the day's excursion, some regretting that the ' German ' 
could not have closed the performances, in order that the spirits 
of Dix^med, Nydia, lone, Glaucus, Sallust, Pansa, and the others 
might observe the controlling passion of the present decade. 

" On the 14:th the ship was very handsomely dressed with 
flags, and a national salute fired in honor of the King's birth- 
day ; and immediately thereafter the Admiral, accompanied by 
his staff, attended a grand review of the troops of the garrison 
and the National Guard, where he was most enthusiastically 



ENTEETAIKMENT AT NICE. 53T 

received witli deafening cheers, presented by General Petti- 
nengo to Prince Humbert and the other distinguished person- 
ages present, and then assigned the position of honor upon the 
reviewing-ground. 

" The same evening Admiral Provana gave a grand banquet 
in honor of Admiral Farragut at the Comando Generale della 
Marina. On this occasion Admiral Farragut was accompanied 
by Colonel Lawrence, Captain Pennock, Captain Le Roy, and 
part of his staff, and on arriving at the Admiralty was re- 
ceived by a guard of honor composed of a detachment of Ber- 
saglieri, the most popular corps in Italy. The corridors and 
stairways of the building were most beautifully decorated with 
camellias and other choice plants ; and when the guests entered 
the principal saloon they were greeted with the thrilling notes 
of ' Hail Columbia,' sweetly performed by the Marine Band. 

" There were about thirty-four persons present at this feast, 
including the Marchese di Rudini, Prefect of Naples ; General 
Pettinengo ; Senator Fiorelli ; Admirals Longo and Cerutti ; 
Captain Acton, and others known to fame in Italy. The strains 
of our national melodies introduced the first regular toast of the 
evening, ' Our distinguished Guest,' which was received with 
great enthusiasm ; while the modest recipient essayed a brief 
acknowledgment, expressing the great pleasure it afforded him 
to revisit Italy and to observe her steady progress. 

" The guests separated at a late hour, the two nationalities 

mutually delighted, and each wishing the other an uninterrupted 

career of happiness and prosperity, emphasizing their friendly 

sentiments with expressive ejaculations of ' Viva America ! 

Viva Italia I ' " 

At ITice Farragut received a most cordial welcome. A 
grand entertainment was given by the American residents, at 
which gathered a galaxy of foreign and native notabilities. 
According to existing treaties, no vessel of the Franklin's size 
could be permitted to enter the Bosphorus ; so Farragut visited 
the great city of the Sultan in the Frolic, a smaller vessel of his 
fleet. He had an audience with the Sultan Abdul Aziz, and 
was entertained by the Grand Yizier and by General Ignatieff, 



538 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

the Russian Minister, and others. In the mean time, while the 
Admiral was feasting and sight-seeing, the American Minister, 
Hon. Lovejoj Morris, was anxious that the flag-ship should be 
allowed to visit the city, and, after strenuous efforts to obtain 
that privilege, finally triumphed. This achievement of our 
worthy rej^resentative can not but cause a smile. It is but a 
fair exami^le of the routine and red-tapeism in the East. Major 
Montgomery tells the story : 

" The application for this permission had been referred to 
the ambassadors of the five great powers, parties to the Treaty 
of Paris, which excludes all vessels of war of her magnitude 
from the privilege of passing up the Straits. Much delay re- 
sulted from these conferences; and, while it was known that 
the Sultan had given his consent from the beginning, it was 
also whispered that one, and perhaps two, of the members of 
the diplomatic corps had demurred, and strenuously opposed an 
acquiescence in the request, as establishing a dangerous prece- 
dent. It was argued by them that their consent would be con- 
trary to the express terms of the treaty ; and, when reminded 
by Mr. Morris that an exception had lately been made in the 
case of the Alexander I*Tevski, a Russian frigate of fifty guns 
(recently lost off Denmark), with the Grand Duke Alexis, third 
son of the Emperor, on board, it was answered that the vessel in 
question was commanded by a prince of the blood. This reply 
afforded our zealous minister the opportunity of ventilating the 
republican notions upon which om* government is based, and 
he lost no time in representing to their excellences that 'in 
America, where there were no titles, all were in one sense 
princes of the blood ' ; that the flag-ship contained at least 
seven hundred of them ; that the Admiral was one of the most 
distinguished members of the republic's household ; and that, 
if exceptions were confined exclusively to princes of the blood 
as recognized in Europe, persons of eminence in the United 
States would be, by such interpretation, excluded entirely from 
privileges accorded to others." 

The Franklm reached New York November 10, 1868. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

HIS LAST DATS — VISIT TO VALLEJO DEATH — THE FUNEKAL — ME- 

MOKIALS. 

In the summer of 1869 the Admiral and Mrs. Farragut 
visited the Pacific coast. He felt a warm interest in the Navy- 
yard there, which had been established by him, and was for four 
years under his command. He was anxious to see the improve- 
ments made by his successors, and great was his delight when 
he stood on the ground that gave him a full view of the com- 
pleted works. 

When the citizens of Yallejo learned of his coming, they 
got up an impromptu reception. A large cavalcade went out 
to meet him, and escorted him through the town to the resi- 
dence of General J. B. Frisbie, whose guests he and Mrs. Far- 
ragut were. The City Council gave him a reception, Hon. 
Paul K. Hubbs making the speech of welcome, in which he 
said : " You left us a captain. You are here to-day the high 
Admiral of the American Navy. You have imprinted a great 
name upon the page of history. This is no fulsome adulation. 
The world instinctively honors the brave. "We desire humbly 
but fitly to pay allegiance to national duty and unexampled skill 
in the execution of it ; to the peace-maker of our land, and of 
the world's oceans, in the person of our great naval chieftain. 
Remain with us while you can, and be at home among us. 
Your orders will be as promptly obeyed here as were those is- 
sued from the fore-top of the Hartford." 

The Admiral, whose heart was deeply touched at this recep- 
tion, where he saw many of his old employees at the Navy-yard, 
responded in this little speech : 

" Gentlemen : I did not anticipate a reception of this char- 
acter, but confess I am not disappointed at this renewal of old 

00 



540 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAERAGUT. 

friendships, not tamislied, I hope, by my action since I left yon 
eleven years ago. In the national matters of which you speak, 
I have, I know, done my duty. Thrown upon a whirlwind of 
startling events, I have been, sometimes railroad-like, sometimes 
meteor-like, flashed from one extraordinary scene of excitement 
to another, so intense of purpose, so overwhelming in success or 
failm'e, that language fails me to present to you, my friends, 
any description of what the mind endures under such pressure. 
The fiat of the Almighty is seen in the result. The lull now 
produces an inexplicable sensation of the past. I shall be happy 
— very much so — to spend with my family some short time 
among you, and get a good rest." 

In the evening there was a brilliant illumination and torch- 
light procession. 

Farragut applied himself, while here, to the development of 
his property, particularly as there was every indication at the 
time of a prosperous future for the httle town. lie was enthu- 
siastic in the work going on, and always predicted good fortune 
to Yallejo. 

In returning from California he was taken suddenly ill of 
heart disease, and was detained for some time at Chicago. For 
a few days his life was despaired of, but by skilKul treatment 
and good nursing he was sufiiciently restored to resume his 
journey. Several severe attacks followed, and his naturally 
powerful constitution was wonderfully apparent in the quickness 
with which he recovered from them. But his health was gradu- 
ally failing. 

His last official duty was to take charge of the naval obse- 
quies of George Peabody, when the remains arrived at Portland 
in H. B. M. ship Monarch, in January, 1870. 

In the summer the Navy Department placed at the Admi- 
ral's disposal the dispatch steamer Tallapoosa, which conveyed 
him and his family to Portsmouth, K. H., where he became 
the guest of the late Eear- Admiral A. M. Pennock, a connec- 
tion by marriage, who was in command of the Navy-yard. 

It seems as if the Admiral had a premonition of his approach- 



DEATH. 54-1 

ing end, for, as the Tallapoosa neared Portsmouth, he arose from 
his sick-bed at the sound of the salute being fired in his honor, 
dressed himself in his full uniform, and went on deck. Look- 
ing up with a sad smile at his blue flag floating from the mast- 
head, he remarked, " It would be well if I died 7101^, in har- 
ness." And shortly after his arrival, an old sailor who had 
charge of the sloop-of-war Dale, then dismantled and lying at 
the wharf, says that one day the Admiral wandered on board, 
and after looldng about the ship, stepped ashore, remarking, 
" That is the last time I shall ever tread the deck of a man-of- 
war." This foreboding proved true. At the commandant's 
house, on the 14th of August, 1870, at the age of sixty-nine, 
he quietly passed away. In the last scene he was surrounded 
by his family and loving friends, including many of his com- 
rades in arms ; and he died, as he had lived, under the old flag, 
to which his bravery, skill, and fidelity had given an added 
glory. 

The citizens of Portsmouth and authorities at the iN'avy-yard 
did themselves honor in the marked respect shown to the de- 
parted Admiral. Both civic and military organizations took 
part in the obsequies. Many true and tried friends followed 
him to his temporary resting-place, and there hstened to an elo- 
quent and heartfelt address from his friend and pastor. Rev. 
Henry E. Montgomery, D. D. 

In September, at the request of citizens of New York, 
the Government sent the frigate Guerriere to Portsmouth to 
bring the Admiral's remains to ISTew York, where they were to 
be transferred to their final resting-place, committees represent- 
ing the Common Council and the Military Order of the Loyal 
Legion (of which Farragut was the Commander) attending as a 
guard of honor. Off Nantucket the ship ran aground, and the 
remains were transferred to the steamer Island Home and taken 
to Hyannis, whence they were forwarded to Fall River by rail, 
and thence to New York by boat, and placed on board the 
sloop of war Brooklyn, to be brought up the harbor with cere- 
mony. 

The municipal authorities took charge of the public funeral, 



542 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FAKRAGUT. 

which was held on September 30th. The public schools and 
offices, the Custom-House, the Stock Exchange, and the leading 
mercantile houses were all closed. The city edifices were 
draped, bells tolled, and minute guns fired. A procession 
which included the President of the United States and members 
of his Cabinet, many naval and military officers, veteran asso- 
ciations, ten thousand soldiers, the Fire Brigade, and numer- 
ous civic societies, escorted the body, which was borne by sail- 
ors, from the boat-landing to the Harlem train at Forty-seventh 
Street, by which it was taken to Woodlawn Cemetery, in West- 
chester County, the trustees of which had set apart for the 
purpose a beautiful plot of ground. There it now rests, under 
a monument erected by the Admiral's widow and son. 

Congress appropriated twenty thousand dollars for the erec- 
tion of a colossal bronze statue of Admiral Farragut in Farragut 
Square, Washington.* The commission was given to Miss Vin- 
nie Ream, and it is expected that the work will soon be com- 
pleted. At the same time, Mr. St. Gauden has been commis- 
sioned by a committee of citizens of Kew York to produce a 
statue of the Admiral, to-be erected in that city. 

On the left of the chancel in the Church of the Incarnation 
(comer of Madison Avenue and Thirty-fifth Street) is placed a 
mural tablet with a likeness of the Admiral, in bas-relief, mod- 
eled by Mr. Launt Thompson. This was erected by the Com- 
mandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the 
State of New York, as a tribute of love to their first Com- 
mander. 

* Joint resolution entitled " A joint resolution amending joint resolution of 
April 16, 1872, relating to the statue of the late Admiral Farragut," approved June 
22, 1874, it was— 

Resolved, That the Secretary of the Navy is hereby authorized to contract with 
some suitable and skillful sculptor for a bronze statue of the late Admiral Farragut, as 
authorized in the joint resolution of April 16, 1872, to be disposed of as therein di- 
rected : Provided, That the selection of the sculptor or artist to execute the statue 
shall be made by the Secretary of the Navy, the General of the Army, and Mrs. 
Virginia L. Farragut, or a majority of them. 



CHAPTEE XXXII. 

ANECDOTES AND CHAEACTEEISTICS — KELIGI0U8 SENTIMENTS — 
CONCLUSION. 

It would be impossible for any man to oecapy a position 
like Farragut's without incurring more or less enmity ; but this 
gave him very little anxiety. On one occasion it was reported 
to him that a few disaffected officers in the squadron were work- 
ing against him. " I know nothing about it," said he, "nor do 
I care to know ; but I will give them something else to think 
about, for I intend to fight a battle in a few days. " And that 
battle took place. 

In his official reports he was always ready to acknowledge 
acts of gallantry by his subordinates, and to recommend pro- 
motions ; but he remarked that every officer was expected to do 
his duty — ^that was required of him by his commission. Once 
when it was remarked that a certain officer was too young for 
promotion, and it would turn his head, Farragut, remembering 
his own experience, answered, "Well, if he can't stand pros- 
perity, that will be his own fault." On the other hand, when 
some of the officials of the l^avy Department wanted to pass off 
a lot of favorites as efficient officers, "Gentlemen," said he, 
" you can no more make a sailor out of a land-lubber by dressing 
him up in sea-toggery and putting a commission into his pocket, 
than you could make a shoemaker of him by filling him with 
sherry cobblers." 

Writing to a friend on the subject of a pay-biU that was be- 
fore the Senate, he said : " In my opinion, an officer's pay, when 
he reaches the highest grade, is given him as a reward for long 
and faithful services. But the ignorant, as well as the wise and 
efficient, have risen to the command of squadrons and stations, 
according to their position on the Register ; and when it was 



544 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

attempted to change that order of things, the law was ignored 
by the country and the President. ... I have always been an 
advocate of promotion or distinction for professional services of 
a chivalrous character, and would never object to the promotion 
of any brother officer who had the good fortune to be at the 
right place at the right time, and did an act by which he risked 
his life and reputation in the performance of his duty." 

He added much to the labors of his position as a command- 
ing officer by his great patience in listening to matters that could 
as well have been disposed of by a subordinate. He could not 
turn from any one who approached him on duty, and his affable 
manner cost him many moments that should have been spent 
in repose. He often remarked that as a young officer he had 
complained of interference with his duties in any shape ; but 
when he found himself loaded with responsibilities, he could 
not help giving personal attention to details. " 'No man," he 
said, " can tell how he will act in a responsible position, till 
he finds himself in it." 

Speaking of success, the Admiral said he always fixed his 
eyes on his object, and then pursued it with impetuosity, giving 
little heed to dangers and obstacles, calculating thus : " I have 
to take this place. The chances are that I shall lose some of my 
vessels by torpedoes or the guns of the enemy, but with some 
of my fleet afloat I shall eventually be successful. I can not 
lose all. I will attack, regardless of consequences, and never 
turn back." It was this, primarily, which insured his success at 
Mobile. Another element which there came into play was his 
profoundly religious nature. He used to say that in the con- 
fusion which ensued upon the sinking of the Tecumseh and the 
stopping of the Brooklyn, he felt that all his plans had been 
thwarted, and he was at a loss whether to advance or to retreat. 
In this extremity his natural impulse was to appeal to Heaven 
for guidance, and he offered up this prayer : " O God, who cre- 
ated man and gave him reason, direct me what to do. Shall I 
go on ? " And it seemed as if in answer a voice commanded 
him to " Go on ! " 

In talking about soldiers, he said he laid it down as a maxim 



ANECDOTES AND CHAEACTEEISTIOS. 545 

that, " if once you get in a soldier's rear, lie is gone." This was 
the key to his plan at New Orleans, Port Hudson, and Mobile. 

He was never at a loss to apply his experience when neces- 
sity required it, and no one ever knew him to hesitate in the 
performance of duty from a want of knowledge. He felt that 
he thoroughly understood his profession ; and being thrown upon 
his own resources so early in life, he acquired a self-confidence 
that served him in good stead when he gained an important 
command. 

But he was as prompt to decline meddling with what he did 
not understand, as to undertake what he did. After the war 
an appeal was made to him to allow his name to be used as a 
director of a company then organizing, accompanied with an inti- 
mation that stock representing one hundred thousand dollars 
would be placed in his name on the books. To this he replied : 
" Having duly considered your kind proposition to become a 

director of the , I have come to the conclusion that no 

pecuniary reward should be an inducement for the risk of repu- 
tation, and, although I am satisfied that the company intends 
that I should not be liable to any pecuniary loss, it could not, 
in the event of failure, prevent the suspicion falling upon me 
which naturally belongs to the directors of such an institution, 
and to say that I had nothing to do with its management would 
not exonerate me in the estimation of those who had taken 
shares upon the ground of my being a director. I have there- 
fore determined to decline entering into any business for which 
I have neither the time nor perhaps ability to attend to. Will 
you please accept for yourself and the company my thanks for 
the generous offer, and best wishes for your success ? " 

Prominent Democrats urged Farragut, in 1868, to allow his 
name to be placed before their convention as a nominee for the 
Presidency. They inclined to the belief that " a man of liberal, 
national, and patriotic views, who is not regarded as a partisan 
Democrat, whose public career has been at once loyal and heroic, 
whose name is the signal for unbounded respect and acclaim," 
would be borne to the White House with enthusiasm. But their 
appeal was in vain ; he had no political aspirations, and felt that 



546 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

he would never give satisfaction as a politician. He wrote to a 
correspondent : " I hasten to assure you that I have never for 
one moment entertained the idea of entering political life, even 
were I certain of receiving the election to the Presidency. . . . 
My entire life has been spent in the Navy : by a steady perse- 
verance and devotion to it I have been favored with success in 
my profession, and to risk that reputation by entering a new 
career at my advanced age, and that career one of which I have 
little or no knowledge, is more than any one has a right to ex- 
pect of me. I therefore beg that you will tender to those gen- 
tlemen, who may think with yourself of proposing my name as 
a candidate, my thanks for this great compliment ; but I am 
fixed in my determination not to serve, under any conditions or 
circumstances." But no man watched with greater interest the 
political conflict then going on. 

A gentleman who served with Farragut tells a story of his 
own first service as a navigating officer. The ship was but a few 
days out from port, when on one occasion he went to the Cap- 
tain to report the reckoning. Farragut took down his chart 
and parallel ruler, and began tracing out the course sailed, and 
locating the ship's position. Finally he raised his head slowly, 
and much to the young man's chagrin remarked, " You may 
depend upon it, sir, you are wrong ; there is some mistake in 
your calculation ; the ship can't be there." Our friend was at 
first disposed to be indignant at the mere suggestion of any 
inaccuracy in his work, but he controlled his feelings and re- 
examined the figures, and sure enough found his error and 
blushingly acknowledged the fact. But Farragut reassured him 
by remarking kindly, " Never mind, sir, all men are liable to 
make mistakes, and — ^perhaps a few women." 

His dry humor was proverbial, and even in his last ilhaesB 
he kept those about him in a smile by the quaintness of his re- 
marks. Once the doctor was making an examination by sound- 
ing in the region of his heart, when he touched some sensitive 
part. An expression of pain crossed the Admiral's brow, and 
he exclaimed, " Great guns and small arms ! You doctors re-' 
mind me of C ; you make a hole in a fellow, and then put 



ANECDOTES AND CHARACTERISTICS. 547 

a shot in afterward." This referred to an exaggerated report 
of a gunboat captain during the war. 

On the day preceding his departure from London, the 
Duchess of Somerset was entreating him to dine with her, for 
the fourth time, on the morrow, when he grasped her hand in 
both of his, and exclaimed, " But, mj dear fellow, it is impossi- 
ble ! " The Duchess was greatly amused, claimed the term of 
endearment as a legacy from Admiral Farragut, and used to 
take a lively pleasure in relating the anecdote. 

From the time of his sojourn in Tunis, in 1818, Farragut 
had labored under the disadvantage of weak eyes, the result of 
the partial sunstroke received in that country. But, in spite of a 
misfortune which interfered so much with anything like study, 
he was enabled to accomplish a great deal by employing readers 
in the various ships in which he sailed, and to the day of his 
death he always had some book on hand to be read to him. 
He was blessed with an excellent memory for facts, and most 
of the Journal which we have published was written from 
dictation. 

Admiral Shubrick, who sailed with Farragut, used to tell a 
story illustrating his linguistic powers. An old woman came 
alongside of the ship in a bumboat ; but no one could commu- 
nicate with her, as she seemed to speak an unfamiliar tongue. 
Some one suggested, "Send for Farragut; he speaks the lan- 
guage of the devil." Accordingly Farragut came on deck, soon 
found out that she was an Arab, and conversed with her quite 
freely, to the amazement of those about him. He had acquired 
the language while he hved in Tunis. 

He was fond of argument, always carried it on good-na- 
turedly, and, if he had honest convictions, would never yield 
them, however impolitic they might seem. 

His education under the old Swiss schoolmaster gave him 
an interest in all athletic sports. He won a set of diamond 
studs, in a foot-race with a brother officer ; and even after his 
fiftieth year it was no unusual thing for him to call up some of 
the crew of his ship and have a bout at single-stick. "When in 
command, and particularly during the war, he invariably wore 



548 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARKAGUT. 

or carried his sword on shore with him, a habit which he had 
acquired when serving on the South American coast. In re- 
turning to his ship at night he frequently had to pass through 
the worst part of the seaport towns, where naval oflBcers were 
sometimes molested, and being a good swordsman he remarked 
that if he should be attacked he had more confidence in that 
(his sword) than any other weapon. For many years he kept 
up a custom of going through certain gymnastic exercises on 
his birthday, to test his powers, and it was not till his sixtieth 
year that he abandoned it. 

He had few secrets, expressed his sentiments freely, and re- 
marked that " he believed in doing things open and above 
board, as such a policy in the long run would always give one 
the advantage over an intriguing adversary." 

In a long talk that I had with him one evening, he told me 
that he really felt under more constraint as an admiral than 
when he was a midshipman. Then he had the first lieutenant 
to quarrel with ; but now he had to face the Government, and 
all his faults were faults that affected his reputation. He said 
he made it a rule never to quarrel with the powers that be ; he 
did not approve of that in a commanding officer. 

The frequency of religious sentiment in his letters seems 
somewhat remarkable, when we consider that he was not a pro- 
fessed Christian till late in life. It was probably the result of 
his early training by his mother, which, though she died when 
he was very young, must have made an impression that he 
never lost. When he was dangerously ill in Chicago, he de- 
sired to have a clergyman called, saying, " He must be my pilot 
now." At the time of his death he was a communicant of the 
Protestant Episcopal Church. He once remarked, when speak- 
ing of navigating a ship, that he " never felt so near his Maker 
as he did when in a storm, knowing that on his skill depended 
the safety of so many lives." 

Farragut was once on duty at a navy-yard where one of the 
principal employees was detected in peculations. A board 
which convened to investigate the charges pronounced the indi- 
vidual guilty. The man had strong friends in Washington, 



CONCLUSION. 549 

and, instead of liis being dismissed, the orders were that he be 
"pubKcly admonished" and restored to duty. It devolved 
upon Farragut to administer the reprimand, which he did very 
effectively. After reading his instructions aloud to the assem- 
bled officials, he turned to the man and said slowly, " Mr. B , 

you have heard the order in regard to admonishing you. I 
have only one remark to make," pointing his finger at him: 
"Remember the eighth commandment. Thou shall not steal.''^ 
An officer who was present says, " Any further remark seemed 
superfluous, if we might judge from the abject misery depicted 
on the countenance of the unhappy man." 

In January, 1865, the " United Service Magazine " said 
of Farragut : " When his biography comes to be written, the 
public, who now see only high courage and indomitable vigor 
rewarded by great and brilliant victories, will recognize the 
completeness and harmony of a character that has so far 
appeared to them only in profile. The stainless honor, the 
straightforward frankness, the vivacity of manner and conver- 
sation, the gentleness, the flow of good humor, the cheerful, 
ever-buoyant spirit of the true man — these will be added to the 
complete education, the thorough seamanship, the devotion to 
duty, and lastly, the restless energy, the disdain of obstacles, the 
impatience of delay or hesitation, the disregard of danger, that 
stand forth in such prominence in the portrait, deeply engraven 
on the loyal American heart, of the great Admiral." 

If this eloquent prediction has not been fulfllled by the 
present volume, the fault lies not in the subject, but in the pen 
that has traced it. The moral of Farragut's life is, that success 
is not an accident ; that the surest way to become great is by 
rising to the top of one's own profession, thoroughly mastering 
the duties of each grade as it is reached. To such a man, fame, 
if it comes, is but an episode ; his mind is fixed solely upon the 
fuU development of his powers and the effective performance 
of his appropriate work. If the story simply told in these 
pages has not shown how the Admiral's whole life was a prepa- 
ration for the brilliant victories won in an aggregate of less 
than six hours of actual fighting ; if it has not exhibited him as 



550 THE LIFE OF DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT. 

a gentleman of genial temperament, wide sympathies, and stain- 
less honor, whose wisdom lay in his sincerity, and whose 
strength in his patient self-confidence, who never forgot either 
his love for his country or his oath to protect her government ; 
— if the details of his life and his own recorded words do not 
convince the reader of this, it would be useless to supply the 
deficiency with any rounded epithets or generalized statements. 
It might have been said of him as emphatically as it was said 
of Tour\dlle, that he was competent to fill any place on ship- 
board, from that of carpenter up to that of admiral. He was 
as brave as Nelson, as pure as Collingwood, and as skilKul as 
they ; but he had that to do which neither of those great cap- 
tains ever dreamed of. They knew how to lay ship to ship, 
and achieve a victory. With him it was first ship against for- 
* tress, fire-raft, and hidden torpedo, and immediately thereafter 
a grapple with the fieet of the enemy ; and what he achieved 
will for ever be suggested by the names of New Orleans, Port 
Hudson, Vicksburg, and Mobile. And if it adds a shade of 
sadness to his story to remember that his highest honors were 
won in vanquishing his own countrymen, it gives it a ten-fold 
glory when we consider that the war he made so successfully 
was not for foreign conquest, not for mercantile jealousy, not 
for any miserable dispute over an imaginary balance of power, 
but simply for liberty and justice to all classes of his fellow 
men, clearly for the rightful government of his native land, 
earnestly for that unity without which the founders of this 
republic would have built in vain. 



CHEOI^OLOGY. 



1801 — July 5, born at Campbell's Station, East Tennessee. 

1810 — Decemler 17, appointed Midshipman in the United States Navy. 

1811 — August, sailed on Ms first cruise. 

1813 — June, put in command of the Alexander Barclay, as prize-master. 

1814 — March 28, his first battle, Essex and Phoebe. 

July 7, arrived at New York, a paroled prisoner. 
1815 — April, sailed for the Mediterranean. 
1816 — Spring, sailed for the Mediterranean a second time. 
1817 — Spring, began an extended cruise in the Mediterranean. 

Autumn, went to study at Tunis. 
1818 — Second cruise to the Mediterranean. 
1819 — Sjpring, cruise in the Mediterranean continued, 
\%%'i— February, sailed in schooner Greyhound for West Indies. Became 
executive officer of the Seagull. 

July, obtained command of the Ferret. 

September, married Miss Marchant. 
1825 — January 23, commissioned Lieutenant, and ordered to the Brandy- 
wine, to convey Lafayette to France. 
1826 — May, arrived at New York ; ordered to receiving-ship Alert, at Nor- 
folk, Virginia. 
1828 — October, ordered to the Vandalia. 

December, sailed for the Brazil station. 
1830 — February, arrived home. 
1832 — December, ordered to the Natchez. 

1833 — January, ordered to Charleston, on account of the nullification 
troubles. 

May, sailed for the coast of Brazil. 
1834 — March, took command of the Boxer, and sailed for Brazil. 

July, returned home. 
1838 — August, took command of the Erie, and sailed for Vera Cruz. 
1839 — January, gave up the Erie. 
1840 — December, his wife died. 
1841 — February, became executive officer of the Delaware. 

September 9, commissioned Commander. 



552 CHRONOLOGY. 

1842 — June^ took command of the Decatur, and sailed for the South Ameri- 
can station. 
1843 — February, arrived at Norfolk. 

December, married Miss Loyall. 
1844 — April, ordered to the receiving-ship Pennsylvania. 

July, to Navy-yard, Norfolk. 
184T — February, took command of the Saratoga, and sailed for the Gulf of 

Mexico. 
1848 — February 19, arrived in New York — ordered to Navy-yard, Norfolk. 
1850-'51 — Employed in compiling a book of ordnance regulations. 
1854 — August, ordered to California, to establish a navy-yard. 
1855 — September IJf., commissioned Captain. 
1858 — July, left California; ordered to take command of the Brooklyn, and 

convey Minister McLane to Mexico. 
1859 — January, ordered to Hayti. 

1860 — Took an exploring party to the Isthmus of Ohiriqui. 
1861 — April, forced to leave Norfolk, Virginia, because of his loyalty ; re- 
moved to Hastings on the Hudson, New York. 
1862 — January, given command of the "Western Gulf Squadron, and sent 
against New Orleans. 

April 2Jf, attacked and passed Forts Jackson and St. Philip with his 
fleet, and captured New Orleans. 

June 28, passed the batteries at Yicksburg. 

July 16, commissioned Rear- Admiral. 
1863 — March 11^, passed the batteries at Port Hudson. 

August 1, sailed for New York. 
1864 — January, sailed for the Gulf. 

August 5, attacked and passed the defenses of Mobile Bay, and con- 
quered the rebel fleet. 

August 23, received the surrender of Fort Morgan. 

December 12, reached New York. 

December 23, commissioned Vice- Admiral. 
1865 — January 23, ordered temporarily to the James River. 

April Jf, entered Richmond. 
1866 — July 25, commissioned Admiral. 
186T — June 28, sailed from New York, in the Franklin, for an extended 

cruise in European waters. 
1868 — November 10, reached New York. 
1869 — Summer, visited the Pacific coast. 
1870 — August I4, died, at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. 

Septemder 30, public funeral held in New York. 



GEI^ERAL I]S"DEX. 



Abbot, Col., 355. 

Acklin, Mr., 348. 

Acton, Capt., 537. 

Adams, Lieut. L. P., wounded at Mobile, 

423. 
Adams, Capt. H. A., at Richmond, 480. 
Adams, Hon. C. R, 504. 
Adams, Rev. David P., 12 ; hia school, 13. 
Adeane, Com., 511. 
Admiral, Farragut on the rank of, 158, 

note ; the grade created, 485. 
Admiralty, British, telegram to Farragut, 

504. 
Aguadilla, 93. 

Alabama, sinks the Hatteras, 305. 
Alayor, 632. 
Albatross, at Port Hudson, 315 et seq. ; 

captures a steamer, 358. 
Albemarle, Island of, 27. 
Alden, Capt. James, leads the line at 

Vicksburg, 273 ; covers landing at 

Baton Rouge, 303 ; hia report of action 

at Port Hudson, 327; at Mobile, 413 

et seq. 
Alexander Palace, The, 492. 
Alexis, Grand Duke, 538. 
Alfred, H. R. H. Prince, 526, 529 ; letter 

from, 530. 
Algesiras, 56. 
Algiers, 53, 59. 

Allegiance, the question of, 202-204. 
Allen, W. H., 536. 
Alligator killed, 25. 
Almy, J. H., 386. 

Ambition, Farragut's remarks on, 365. 
Ampudia, Gen., 127. 
Ancestry, Farragut's, 1-4. 
Anderson, Col. Charles D., surrenders 

Fort Gaines, 466. 
Anderson, Consul, 61. 
Anderson, Geo. Robert, reception in 

Boston, 482. 
Anecdotes of Farragut, 543. 



Angelius, Jose, 151. 

Annapolis, visitors at, 139. 

Appleton, Mr., 77, 79. 

Argentine Republic, brief history of, 108. 

Arista, Gen., 131. 

Arizona, goes through Atchafalaya River, 
362. 

Arkansas, rebel ram, dashes out of Ya- 
zoo River, 286 ; destroyed, 289. 

Armstrong, Capt., 140. 

"Army and Navy Gazette," British, 
quoted, 461. 

Arnold, Brig. -Gen. Richard K., 467; 
quoted, 468. 

Arrow, Capt., 527. 

Ashe, Dr. R. P., 170, 174. 

Aspinwall, W. H., 535, 536. 

Atherley, Gen., 518. 

Athletic exercises, 80; powers, Farra- 
gut's, 547. 

Atwood, Mr., 79. 

Augustine, 5. 

Austria, Emperor of, 57. 

Babylon, L. I., Capt. David Porter lands 

at, 48. 

Bacri, Miss, 77. 

Baia9, 57. 

Bailey, Rcar-Admiral Theodorus, leads 
division at New Orleans, 228 ; captures 
Chalmette regiment, 233 ; sent to de- 
mand the surrender of New Orleans, 
234 ; extracts from letters, 411 ; letter 
from Farragut to, 401. 

Bailey, Brig.-Gen. Joseph, receives sur- 
render of Fort Morgan, 467. 

Bainbridge, Commodore William, 19, 51, 
81 ; death of, 117 ; allusion to, 483. 

Baldwin, Lieut. C. H., 279. 

Ball, Countess Martioni's, adventures at, 
80 ; grand, attended by Farragut, 149 ; 
on board the Franklin, 518; in Valet- 
ta, 519. 



654 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Barton, William, 386, 

Bancroft, Hon. George, 156. 

Banks, Gen. N. P., supersedes Gen. But- 
ler at New Orleans, 300; Farragut 
awaits his movements, 309 ; cooperates 
with the fleet at Port Hudson, 311 ; his 
arrangements to attack Port Hudson, 
313 ; letter from Farragut to, 359 ; raid 
into the Opelousas country, 361 ; Far- 
ragut at his house, 365 ; letter to Far- 
ragut, 367 ; letters from Fari'agut to, 
367, 368, 373 ; letter to Farragut, 374 ; 
his defeat in western Louisiana, Farra- 
gut's comments on, 395. 

Bar, getting over a dangerous, 89. 

Barbecue in Buenos Ayres, 149. 

Barclay, Farragut appointed prize-master 
of the, 25. 

Barnard, Gen. J. G., 212, 

Barnes, David M., 386. 

Barney, Hiram, 386.' 

Barron, Commodore James, 105; letter 
from Farragut to, 132. 

Barron, Lieut. S., 164. 

Barron, Sam, quoted, 308. 

Bartlett, Gen. Jos., 500, 501. 

Baths of Nero, 57. 

Baton Rouge, the fight at, 288 ; Farragut 
advises Banks to occupy, 303, 311. 

Baudin, Admiral, 128, 131, 132, 

Baxter, Capt., 22. 

Bay Fight, The, poem by Brownell, 441, 

Bayou Macon, 354. 

Bazoche, Commodore, 126, 133. 

Beach, C. N., 636. 

Beaufort, S. C, Farragut goes to, 192. 

Bed, Farragut without one for two years, 
98. 

Bedouin, adventure with a, 66. 

Behn, E., 199. 

Bell, Lieut. C. H., 101. 

Bell, Commodore Henry H., leads division 
at New Orleans, 232 ; takes formal 
possession of New Orleans, 243 ; pro- 
moted, 293 ; ordered to Texas, 304 ; his 
proclamation, 306 ; letter from Farra- 
gut to, 375. 

Bell, Isaac, 386, 477. 

Benbow, John, British Admiral, allusion 
to, 483. 

Berry, Richard, 386. 

Berryman, Commander, 139. 

Bersaglieri, the, 537. 

Bey of Tunis, interview with, 70, 

Bible, a costly, 493. 

Bienville, at Mobile, 414. 

Bierstadt, Albert, 526. 



Biggs's Plantation, 350, 

Biloxi, Farragut robs post-office at, 211. 

Birckland, dining with, 141. 

Bissley, his hei'oism, 42. 

Black, Capt., 140. 

Blacknall, Dr., 164. 

Blackwood, Com. Sir F., 511. 

Blake, Capt. Homer C, his fight with the 
Alabama, 305 ; his operations in the 
James, 479. 

Bland, Francis, killed, 43. 

Blockade-runner, story of a, 391 ; " Nar- 
rative of a," quoted, 233. 

Blodgett, William T., 477. 

Blunt, George W., 386. 

Blydcnburgh, II., 386. 

Boarding, Porter cautions Farragut about, 
347. 

Boavista, 151. 

Bogart, Mr., at Port Hudson, 328. 

Boggs, Capt., sent down through the 
bayous, 241. 

Bogle, Secretary, 115. 

Bolton, Capt. W. C, 20, 100; Commodore, 
155. 

Bonney, B. W., 386. 

Books, Folsom's advice concerning, 78. 

Boone, Daniel, allusion to, 522. 

Bosphorus, discussion ae to permitting 
the Franklin to enter, 537, 538. 

Boston, 51. 

Boudro, John B., 5. 

Boutakoff, Vice-Admiral Gregory, 492, 
498, 499. 

Bout well. Commander E. B., 170-188. 

Bowen, Gen. James, letter -from, to Far- 
ragut, 396 ; the reply, 397, 

Box-hauling, 116, 150. 

Boy, story of one whom Farragut disci- 
plined in school, 105. 

Brandreth, Capt. T., 506. 

Brazil station, Farragut sails for, 107. 

Breckinridge, Gen. J, C, attacks Baton 
Rouge, 288. 

Breeden, B. F., 536. 

Breese, Capt. S. F., 162. 

British opinions of the victory at Mobile, 
461. 

Brooklyn, at Mobile, 413 d seq. 

Broome, Capt. H. L., 231, 243 ; at Port 
Hudson, 317. 

Brown, Admiral, 149. 

Brown, Lieut., 99. 

Brown, Lieut.-Commander George, at Mo- 
bile, 413 et seq. 

Brown, William H., 386. 

Browne, Mr., 120. 



GENERAL INDEX. 



655 



Brownell, Henry Howard, translation by, 
2; his introduction to Farragut, 250; 
appointed acting ensign, 251 ; poem, 
"The River Fight," 251; at Mobile, 
414; takes notes of the action, 436 ; 
his poem, " The Bay Fight," 441 ; Far- 
ragut's letter to, 457 ; quoted, 463. 

Bruce, Capt., 142. 

Buchanan, Admiral Franklin, 297, 392, 
400; at Mobile, 418 et seq. ; wounded, 
420 ; surrenders, 420 ; quoted, 422 ; 
Surgeon Palmer's interview with, 427. 

Buchanan, Lieut.-Commander McKean, 
his operations in Berwick's Bay, 296 ; 
his report, 297 ; his death, 307. 

Buenos Ayres, arrival at, 117 ; revolution 
in, 117; customs and manners in, 144. 

Bull-fights, 141. 

Burnside, Gen. A. E., 309. 

Bustos, Gov., 108. 

Butler, Gen. B. F., sails from Hampton 
Roads, 212; his forces, 216; hangs a 
man for tearing down the national flag, 
241 ; Farragut turns over New Orleans 
to, 243 ; his operations in the Ope- 
lousas, 297 ; interview with Farragut, 
298 ; his administration, 300 ; carica- 
tures of, 391 ; his letter of congratula- 
tion to Farragut on battle of Mobile 
Bay, 439. 

Butler, Charles G., 386. 

Caldwell, Commander C. H. B., 226, 229 ; 

opens the obstructions at New Orleans, 

244 ; at Port Hudson, 324 ; his report 

of the action, 334. 
California, Farragut's service in, 168 et 

seq. 
Call, William, 45. 
Cambridge, Mass., Farragut's reception 

in, 484. 
Cambridge, H. R. H., Duke of, 508, 509. 
" Camp, Court, and Siege " quoted, 267. 
Campeachy, 197. 
Canales, Gen., 127. 
Canarol, Fuentes, 199. 
Canby, Gen., E. R. S., 404, 428, 463. 
Cape Horn, 20. 
Cape San Antonio, fisherman pirates at, 

93. 
Capsizing of a schooner, 101. 
Carisbrooke Castle, 530. 
Carpenter, Farragut as a, 124. 
Carrell, Thomas R., pilot at Port Hudson, 

323, 325, 326. 
CarroUton, rebel works at, abandoned, 

261. 

36 



Carthage, 64. 

Carthagena, 50. 

Casey and Cora hung, 172. 

Cassel, Ensign, 468. 

Cassin, Commodore, 112. 

Cassin, Lieut., 79, 80. 

Cerutti, Admiral, 537. 

Chalmette regiment captured, 233 ; bat- 
teries silenced, 234. 

Chamberlain, the Emperor's, meets with 
an accident, 57. 

Chamber of Commerce congratulates Far- 
ragut, 387 ; his reply to, 388. 

Chapman, Henry S., 386. 

Charles XV., King of Sweden, Farragut 
dines with, 600. 

Charles Island, 23, 24. 

Charleston, 83 ; service at, during " nulli- 
fication," 114; fire in, 114. 

Chauncey, Commodore Isaac, 52, 80; 
anecdote of his son, 54. 

Cherbourg, 486, 487 ; its dock-yard, 488. 

Chester, Farragut attends school at, 11, 
49. 

Chicago, Farragut detained at, by illness, 
540. 

Chickasaw, monitor, at Mobile, 412 e< seq. 

Chiriqui, Isthmus of, exploration, 200. 

Chittenden, S. B., 477. 

Cholera, Farragut attacked by, 164. 

Christian, Prince, 530. 

Church, Com., 511. 

Cisco, John J., 386, 477. 

Ciudadella, Farragut's reception in, 532, 

Civilian, Farragut's opinion of service 
under, 197. 

Claiborne, W. C. C, 5, 6. 

Clark, Luther C, 386. 

Clay, Hon. Cassius M., 491, 497. 

Clearances, fraudulent, 301. 

Clemens, Lieut. W. W., at Richmond, 480. 

Clift, Smith, 535, 536. 

Clinton, Mr., 54. 

Climate, peculiar effects of, 143. 

Coal floated past Vicksburg, 340, 346. 

Coasting southward, best method of, 114. 

Cocke, Lieut. H., 50 ; mortally wounded, 
93. 

Coe, George S., 386. 

Coffin, Mid. F. W., 518. 

Coffin, Charles C, quoted, 480. 

Coles, Capt., his principle in turrets, 509, 
525. 

College Point batteries fire on the Monon- 
gahela, 378, 380. 

Gollingwood, Admiral Cuthbert, quoted, 
437 ; allusion to, 550. 



556 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Collins, John, pilot, at Mobile, 425. 

Combs, manufacture of, described, 117. 

Commander, FaiTagut's commission as, 
139 

Compliments from Navy Department, one 
of Farragut's few, 105. 

Comstock, Joseph J., 386. 

Comstock, Lieut., killed at Mobile, 431. 

Conception, 32. 

Connecticut, Farragut visits, 104. 

Connor, Commodore, 158. 

Conrad, Surgeon, 427. 

Constantine, Fort, 497. 

Constantine, Grand Duke, 491. 

Constantinople, Farragut's visit to, 537. 

Constitution, U. S., Farragut quotes, 178. 

Contractors disappoint the Government, 
284, 383. 

Cook, punishing a, 65. 

Cook, Lieut.-Commandcr A. P., 364. 

Cooper, charged with murder, 193. 

Cooper, Ensign, 468. 

Copenhagen, 501 ; armories of, 502. 

Copper sheathing, 140. 

Coral fishery, 70. 

Corina, 144. 

Corpus Christi captured, 295. 

Corry, Right Hon. Mr., 506. 

Courts-martial, 112, 124, 136, 153. 

Cowell, Lieut. J. G., his heroism, 42; 
killed, 43. 

Cowdin, Elliot C, 386. 

Cowes, 104, 528. 

Cox, Master's Mate, at Port Hudson, 
328. 

Cozzens, Abraham M., 386. 

Crabbe, Admiral, 496, 498. 

Crabs, a scare from, 98. 

" Crack ships," opinion of, 52. 

Crane, Capt., 50, 51, 53. 

Craven, Commander T. A. M., at Mobile, 
413 c< seq. ; lost in the Tecumseh, 416 ; 
quoted, 425, 438. 

Craven, Capt. T. T., sent up the Missis- 
sippi, 250 ; his explanation of his fail- 
ure to pass Vicksburg, 281. 

Crawford, Mr., 125. 

Creighton, Capt., 51, 54. 

Creighton, Commodore, 107, 112. 

Crimea, Farragut asks to be sent to the, 
166. 

Crocker, Master F., his captures on the 
Texas coast, 295. 

Cronstadt, 489, 498. 

Crosby, Lieut. Pierce, 244, 274. 

" Cruise of the Franklin," quoted, 603. 

Cruises in the Mediterranean, 56, 59, 81. 



Cummings, Lieut.-Commander A. Boyd, 
mortally wounded, 320, 327 ; Farragut's 
opinion of, 345, 360 ; Admiral Porter's 
opinion of, 355. 

Curtis, Major, 505. 

Curtis's division, 309. 

Dacres, Vice- Admiral, 504, 505. 
Dahlgren, Admiral John A., succeeds Du- 

pont, 378. 
Dallas, Com., attacked in Congress, 124, 

127. 
Damico, Baroness, 518. 
Dana, Ensign W. S., 403. 
Dancing in Brazil, 120. 
Dauphin Island, 405, 407, 429. 
Davis, Commodore Cliarles H., destroys 

rebel fleet at Memphis, 271 ; arrives at 

Vicksburg, 282. 
Davis, John S., washed overboard, 113. 
Deacon, Charles E., 527. 
Dean, Charles, 484. 
Deane, Mr., offers Farragut use of the 

Atlantic cable, 506. 
De Camp, Commander John, 274. 
Decatur, Capt. Stephen, 14. 
Decatur, Commodore, 50, 51. 
De Krafft, Lieut.-Commander J. C. P., 

405, 466. 
Delta of the Mississippi described, 214. 
Denmark, Christian IX., King of, Farra- 
gut dines with, 502. 
Dennison, Collector Geo. L., Farragut's 

letter to, 301. 
De Russey, Gen., 502. 
Deserter, dealing with a, 101. 
Detmold, C. E., 386. 

Devens, Gen. Charles, at Richmond, 480. 
Devonport, 508. 
Dew, Capt., 511. 

Dewey, Lieut. Geo., at Port Hudson, 331. 
Diablito the pirate, 94. 
Dickens, Charles, quoted, 299. 
Didelot, Rear-Admiral, 486. 
Dinner-party, trouble at a, 62. 
Diseases, peculiar, 118. 
Diving apparatus, 507. 
Dix, Gen. John A., 487. 
Dobbin, Secretary J. C, note from, 167; 

letters from, 189. 
Dock-yards, British, 504, 506, 508. 
Dockum, Admiral, 501. 
Dodd, Jlr., 84. 

Dodge, WiUiam E., 386, 477. 
Dogs in the cabin, Porter's, 348. 
Domingo the pirate, 94. 
Don, as flag-ship, 479. 



GENEEAL INDEX. 



557 



Donaldson, Commander Edward, 274 ; at 
Mobile, 413 c< seq. 

Donaldsouville, desti-uction of, 291 ; works 
at, 371 ; Confederates attack, 372. 

Dornin, Commander T. A., 164. 

Dorrego, Gov., 109. 

Downes, Lieut. John, 12, 22, 23, 28, 46, 
63, 120. 

Downing, Lieut., 107. 

Downs, the, 489. 

Draper, Collector S., 386, 474, 477. 

Drayton, Capt. Percival, 72, 165; as fleet- 
captain, 390; at Mobile, 412 et seq.; 
quoted, 426 ; receives surrender of Fort 
Gaines, 466 ; of Fort Morgan, 467. 

Dresses, court, 120. 

Drinks, peculiar, 152. 

Drumraond, Rear-Admiral, 508. 

Dryburgh Abbey, 524. 

Duer, Denning, 386. 

Duff, Gen., U. S. Consul, 525. 

Duganne, Col. A. J. H., 476. 

Duke, anecdote of a, 58. 

Duncan, Gen. J. K., 216, 228; surrenders 
Forts Jackson and St. Philip, 242. 

Duncan, Lieut., 100. 

Dunford, Col. and Mrs., 518. 

Dupont, Admiral S. F., 365. 

Dupree, Major, 5. 

Duquesne, Marquis, 125. 

Dusenberry, Midshipman, 43. 

Dionysius's Ear, 58. 

Eads, Capt. James B., 214. 

Eager, Col., 518. 

Earthquake at sea, 152. 

Eaton, Capt., discovers attempt at decoy 
signaling, 357 ; signals past Fort Hud- 
son, 359. 

Ecuri, 148. 

Edinburgh, Farragut's visit to, 524. 

Edinburgh, Duke of, 526, 528, 629. 

Edwards, Mr., 145. 

Elder, Mr., 525. 

El Jem, 65, 66. 

Ellet, Col. Charles R., runs the Vicksburg 
batteries, 311 ; in command of the 
Queen of the West, 336 ; Farragut's 
opinion of, 361. 

Ellet, Gen., attacks the ram Arkansas, 
287 ; his attempt to send rams past 
Vicksburg, 344 ; offers Farragut his 
rams, 349 ; his new brigade, 351 ; his 
exploit with the rams, 352, 383. 

Elliott, Commodore, 113. 

Ellis Cliffs, transports fired into at, 272. 

Elphinstone, Com., 611. 



Elsinore, 501. 

Emanuelita, daughter of Rosas, 144-149 ; 

her ball-room, 145. 
Emmons, Lieut. George F., 308. 
Emory, Gen., sends reenforcements to 

Donaldsonville, 373 ; mentioned, 374 ; 

letter from Farragut to, 376 ; interview 

with Capt. Jenkins, 379. 
Emperor of Brazil, Pedro L, 111 ; his 

bride. 111, note; his children. 111, 

note. 
Emperor of Brazil, Pedro II., 119, 120, 

141. 
Engle, Capt., 200. 
English Turn, 247. 
Ericsson, Capt. John, 490. 
Escondida, pirates at, 94. 
Essex, makes prizes, 14 ; captures the 

Alert, 16; sails from the Delaware, 

19 ; captures the Nocton, 20, ; cap- 

tui'es the Nereyda, 22 ; battle with 

and capture by the Phoebe, 33-44 ; 

losses in, 37 ; Farragut's criticism of, 

38. 
Essex, at Port Hudson, 323. 
Essex Junior, 48. 
Eugenie, Empress, 487. 
Eutaw, in the James, 479. 
Examination for promotion, 83. 
Eynaud, Mr. and Mrs., 518. 

Fairfax, Lieut., 164. 

Farragut, George, records of birth and 
baptism, 1 ; emigration to America, 1, 
4 ; petitions Congress, 5 ; saves life of 
Col. Washington, 5 ; dispatch to Gov. 
Claiborne, 5 ; becomes a magistrate, 6 ; 
with Gen. Jackson, 6 ; death, 6 ; his 
son lost at sea, 6 ; surveying in Ten- 
nessee, 7 ; marries, 7 ; war with In- 
dians, 8 ; appointed sailing-master, 8 ; 
buys a farm on the Pascagoula, 9 ; goes 
from New Orleans to Havana in a pi- 
•rogue, 9. 

Farragut, Mrs. George, marriage, 7 ; fight 
with Indians, 8 ; death, 8. 

Farragut, Loyall, joins his father at Pen- 
sacola, 295 ; finishes a letter of his 
father's, 308 ; at passage of Port Hud- 
son, 318; acts as signal officer, 326; 
at Port Hudson, 343 ; his father's anx- 
iety, 344 ; starts for home, 345 ; guest 
of Admiral Porter, 348 ; letters from 
the Admiral to, 395, 399, 402, 404, 470. 

Farragut, Mrs. Susan C, 72 ; her illness, 
124; death, 136; her husband's devo- 
tion, lot). 



558 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Farragut, Mrs. Virginia L., letter from 
the Admiral to, 405 ; receives permis- 
sion to accompany her husband in the 
Franklin, 485 ; visits St. Petersburg 
and Moscow, 492; dines with Prince 
Gallitzin, 497 ; excursion in Malta, 515 ; 
fears a collision, 521 ; accompanies the 
Admiral through England to Scotland, 
523 ; excursion to Carisbrooke Castle, 
530 ; excursion to Pompeii, 534 ; visit 
to the Pacific coast, 539 ; as member 
of committee on statue, 542. 

Farragut, William, appointed in the navy, 
10, 98 ; death, 200. 

Farragut's Morn, Meredith's poem, 459. 

Farron, Engineer C, his bravery and death 
at Mobile, 425. 

Fauquier Springs, summer spent at, 153. 

Febrer, Mossen Jaime, poem by, 2 ; men- 
tioned, 531. 

Fernando de Noronha, 19. 

Ferragut family, records of, 3, 4. 

Ferragut, Don Pedro, 2. 

Finch, Lieut. William, 12, 20, 155. 

Fiorelli, Senator, 534, 53*7. 

Fish, costly, 494. 

Fisher, Col., 505. 

Fitch & Montgomery, the firm of, 62. 

Flag of the United States torn down in 
New Orleans, 241. 

Fleet, largest American, ever in European 
waters, 51. 

Flood, Dr., 6. 

Florence, 534. 

Florida, rebel cruiser, her exploits, 296 ; 
anxiety about, 299. 

Flushing, 521. 

Folsom, Charles, 61-79. 

Foltz, Surgeon J. M., quoted, 318 ; men- 
tioned, 492. 

Fonda, J. H., 386. 

Foote, Rear-Admiral A. H., 207; Farra- 
gut goes up the river to meet, 262 ; 
death, 378. 

Fort Jackson, first bricks for, 99. 

Fox, Assistant Secretary G. V., 299. 

Franklin, Farragut hoists his flagon, 485 ; 
cruise of, 485 et seq. 

Franklin, Benjamin, qiioted, 470. 

Frazer, Prof. J. F., 536. 

Frederick, Md., Farragut visits, 113. 

Frederick, Crown Prince of Denmark, 
502. 

Fredericksburg, battle of, Farragut's 
opinion, 309. 

Freeman, Martin, pilot at Mobile, 416, 
436, 



Frisbie, Gen. J. B., 539. 
Fi'Ogs, fable of the, 119. 

Gabaudan, Edward C, 280 ; at Port Hud- 
son, 326 ; sent to Admiral Porter, 339 ; 
passes Port Hudson in a dug-out, 358. 

Gaines, Major-Gen., 6. 

Gaines, Fort, described, 407 ; surrendered, 
423. 

Galapagos Islands, visits to, 23, 25. 

Gale, managing a ship in a, 92. 

Galena, at Mobile, 413 c< seq. 

Gallagher, Capt., 80, 107. 

Gallatin, James, 386. 

Gallitzin, Prince, Farragut dines with, 
497, 498. 

Galveston captured, 295 ; recaptured, 304. 

Gamble, Lieut. John M., 12, 53. 

Games, Spanish, 147. 

Gardner, AVilliam H., 107, 129, 131. 

Gardner, Capt., 511. 

Gardner, Gen., his defense of Port Hud- 
son, 380. 

Garibaldi, Gen., 149. 

Gavot, dancing the, 120. 

Gaza, Gen., 84. 

Geffrard, President, 195. 

Geisinger, Capt., 119. 

General Orders, in preparation for New 
Orleans battle, 220, 225 ; Brownell's 
versification of, 252. 

Genesee, at Port Hudson, 315 et seq.; at 
Mobile, 414. 

Gerdes, F. H., 219. 

Gherardi, Lieut. -Commander Bancroft, at 
Mobile, 413 «;! seq. 

Gibbs, Acting Master, at Port Hudson, 
327. 

Gibraltar, 50, 62, 53, 104. 

Gierlew, A. C, 68, 76 ; letter from Far- 
ragut to, 503 ; his daughters, 503. 

Giraud, Lieut. P., at Mobile, 437. 

Glasgow, Farragut's visit to, 525 ; his re- 
port on the ship-yards, 525. 

Glidden, Ensign G."D. B., 403. 

Glyn, Col., and Mrs., 518. 

Goodenough, Col., 518. 

Gopher for dinner, 402. 

Gordon, Capt., 53. 

Gould, Charles, 386. 

Grand Gulf, battery fires on Union gun- 
boats, 263; the town shelled, 264; 
batteries fire on the Hartford, 337, 357. 

Granger, Gen. Gordon, 404, 405, 429 ; at 
Mobile, 423 ; signals surrender of Fort 
Morgan, 464 ; extracts from his report, 
465. 



GENERAL INDEX. 



559 



Grant, 0. D. F., 386. 

Grant, Sir Patrick, Governor-General of 

Malta, 512 et seq. 
Grant, Gen. U. S., correspondence with 

Farragut, 339-342 ; his generalship, 

Farragut's comment on, 400. 
Grant's Pass, 408. 
Gravesend, 504. 
Great Belt, 501. 
Greece, George, King of, 502. 
Green, rebel General, attacks Donaldson- 

ville, 3*72. 
Green, Lieut.-Commander Charles H., at 

Mobile, 413 e< seq. 
Green, John C, 477. 
Green, Capt. T. P., 412. 
Greenleaf, A. W., 386. 
Gregory, Lieut., 104. 
Grierson, Col , dines with Farragut, 366. 
Grinnell, Moses H., 386, 477. 
Grotto del Cane, 57. 
Grotto of St. Paul, 515. 
Guanas, 27. 
Guayaquil, Bay of, 25. 
Gubbins, Col. and Mrs., 518. 
Guerilla warfare on the Mississippi, 263. 
Guern, Col., 496. 
Guns, testing, 165. 
Gwin, Dr., 185. 
Gypsies, 495. 

Half-tops, difficulty of handling, 137. 

Hall, Francis A., 386. 

Hall, John B., 386. 

Halleck, Gen. H. W., 279 ; as General-in- 
Chief, 291 ; telegram to Farragut, 285. 

Halstead, Vice-Admiral, 487. 

Hamilton, J. B., pilot at Port Hudson, 
325, 326. 

Hamilton, Hon. Paul, 11. 

Hamilton, British Rear-Admiral R, V., 
quoted, 462. 

Hamilton, Lieut. William, at Mobile, 437. 

Hand-grenades, 368. 

Happars and Typees, battles with, 28. 

Hardwi^ke, Admiral, 528. 

Hargous, Mr., 126. 

Hargraves, Major, 5. 

Harriet Lane captured, 304. 

Harris, 518. 

Harrison, Mr., 95. 

Harrison, Capt. G. W., at Mobile, 419. 

Hartford, Farragut hoists his flag on the, 
210; description of her, 210; on fire, 
231; at New Orleans, 234; reaches 
Vicksburg, 265 ; at Port Hudson, 315 
et seq, ; actions at Grand Gulf, 337, 



357 ; action at Warrenton, 339 ; Far- 
ragut leaves her at Red River, 364 ; pre- 
pared against boarding, 358 ; number 
of shots received in 19 months, 385 ; 
at Mobile, 413 e< seq. ; cut down by the 
Lackawanna, 420. 

Harwood, Admiral A. H., 164 ; letter of 
congratulation to Farragut on battle of 
Mobile Bay, 440. 

Haskins, Ensign, at Port Hudson, 328. 

Hastings on the Hudson, Farragut re- 
moves to, 205 ; Farragut at, 385 ; re- 
ception at, 479. 

Hatteras, sunk by the Alabama, 305. 

Havre, arrival at, 103. 

Hawley, Major, 518. 

Haxtun, Lieut. M., 184. 

Hayden, Nathaniel, 386. 

Hayes, Dr. A., 536. 

Hayti, revolution in, 195. 

Hazeltine, Midshipman, 243. 

Hazeltiqe, Ensign E., at Port Hudson, 316. 

Heap, Dr., 79. 

Heckscher, Mr., U. S. Consul, 503. 

Heginbotham, mortally wounded at Mo- 
bile, 423, 436 ; Farragut's opinion of, 
463. 

Henshaw, Hon. David, his nomination 
rejected, 154. 

Heras, Las, Prest., 108. 

Herculaneum, 56. 

Hermitage, The, 496. 

Herrick, Master's Mate, 403. 

Hewitt, Capt., 307. 

Higby, Lieut. J., at Port Hudson, 317. 

Higgins, Col. Edward, 216; quoted, 292. 

Hillyar, Capt. James, 32 e^ seq. 

Hitchcock, Commander, 284. 

Hoadley, David, 386. 

Hoff, Lieut. W. B., 518. 

Hoffman, Dr. Richard K., 12, 43. 

Hoffman, Col. Wickham, quoted, 267 ; his 
description of fight at Baton Rouge, 
288. 

Holmes, Oliver Wendell, poem by, 482. 

Holt, Joseph, quoted, 470. 

Hood, Capt. A. W. A., 507. 

Hood's Island, 27. 

Hooker, Gen. Joseph, 366. 

Hopkins, wounded by Judge Terry, 174, 
175, 

Horsemanship, Farragut's, 88. 

Horse-meat, 21. 

Hotham, Admiral, and his son, 79. 

Houlton, Lord and Lady, 518. 

House, Farragut purchases one in New 
York, 476. 



560 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Howard, Gen. V. E., HZ. 

Howard, J., Jr., 3SG. 

Howard, W. T., 386. 

Howe, Charles T., 536. 

Howe, Frank E., 396, 398. 

Hubbs, Hon. Paul K., his speech, 539. 

Hudson, 328. 

Hugg, Dr., at Port Hudson, 317. 

Hull, Capt. Isaac, allusion to, 483. 

Humbert, Prince, 53*7. 

Hunter, Mr., 141. 

Hunter, Capt. Charles, 536. 

Hutton, B. H., 386. 

Hyannis, 541. 

Ignatieff, Gen., 637. 

Indianola, the loss of, 338. 

India-rubber trees, 151 ; manufacture, 
161. 

Indians, Mrs. Farragut guards the house 
against, 8. 

Ingraham, Commander D. N., 177. 

Ingraham, Lieut. William, 39. 

Insurrection, negro, 113. 

Interpreter, Farragut as an, 57. 

Intervention, Farragut's opinion of, 293. 

Iraic described, 118. 

Iron-clads, river, description of, 282 ; 
Farragut's first experience in one, 286 ; 
his opinion of, 294 ; Farragut appeals 
to Porter for, 349, 352; Porter de- 
scribes their dreadful condition, 353 ; 
English, 506; a Prussian, 509; Eng- 
lish squadron, 511. 

Iron-clad rams, Farragut's opinion of, 285. 

Isaacs, Midshipman, 40, 43. 

Isabella, Queen, 531. 

Isle of Pines, in Mediterranean, 76. 

Isle of Pines, in West Indies, 95. 

Isles of Shoals, 484. 

Itasca, fired upon at Grand Gulf, 263 ; 
at Mobile, 413 et seq. 

Iturbide, his career, 84 ; death, 85. 

Ives, Dr., 105. 

Jack the Giant-killer, Farragut as, 394. 

Jackson, Fort, described, 216; bombard- 
ment of, 219. 

Jackson, President Andrew, 511. 

Jalapa, meeting of foreign Ministers at, 
199. 

James River, naval movement in the, 479. 

Jardines, cruising through the, 95. 

Jarvis, llidshipman, gallantry of, 113. 

Jassin, at Mobile, 414. 

Jay, John C, 536. 

Jeicfers, Lieut. William N., 196. 



Jenkins, Capt. T. A., at Natchez, 337 ; at 
Grand Gulf, 338 ; reconnaissance at 
Yicksburg, 339 ; fights batteries at 
College Point, 378 ; wounded, 379 ; in 
New Orleans, 379; at Mobile, 413 et 
seq. ; Farragut's comments on, 437. 

Jerome, Leonard W., 386. 

Jim, 234. 

Johnson, Lieut. Amos, at Port Hudson, 
334. 

Johnson, President Andrew, his courtesy 
to Mrs. Farragut, 485 ; visits the Frank- 
lin, 486. 

Johnson, Gov., 172. 

Johnston, Commander, at Mobile, 423 ; 
surrenders, 433. 

Johnston, J. Boorman & Co., 386. 

Johnston, Gen. J. E., at Jackson, 382. 

Johnston, John Taylor, 386, 477. 

Joinville, Prince de, 128, 131, 140; Far- 
ragut entertained by, 505. 

Jones, Ensign C, at Port Hudson, 317. 

Jones, Parker, 386. 

Jones, Richard B., predicts Farragut's 
fame, 71. 

Jones, William, killed, 357. 

Jouett, Lieut.-Commander James E., at 
Mobile, 413 e< seq. 

Juarez, President, 196, 199. 

Kane, Mid. S. N., 492. 

Kazan Cathedral, the, 496. 

Kearny, Capt. Lawrence, 93, 95. 

Kearsarge, her victory over the Alabama, 
Farragut's comments on, 403. 

Keepsake, Farragut's, to children of an 
old friend, 503. 

Keith, Lieut.-Col., 288. 

Kellett, Rear-Admiral, 511, 514, 517, 520. 

Kennebec, at Mobile, 413 et seq. 

Kennedy, Capt., 105. 

Kennedy, Dr., at Port Hudson, 317. 

Ketcham, T., 386. 

Ketchum, Morris, 386. 

Key, Rear-Admiral, 505, 506. 

Key West, 93. 

Kiel Bay, 489. 

Kilson, Dr., 79. 

Kimball, Engineer Jas. B., at Port Hud- 
son, 317. 

Kimberly, Lieut. L. A., at Port Hudson, 
317. 

Kineo, at Port Hudson, 315 ct seq. ; at 
Donaldsonville, 372. 

King, Dr. W. M., at Port Hudson, 317. 

King, James G., 386. 

King of William, James, 172. 



GENERAL INDEX. 



561 



Kingsbury, William, 20, 43. 

Klrkpatrick, Mr., 56. 

Kissam & Co., 386. 

Kittredge, Lieut. J. W., his capture on 
the Texas coast, 295. 

Knapp, Shepherd, 386. 

Kneeland, Charles, 386. 

Knight, Mr., takes the Alert to St. John's, 
16. 

Knight, Nchemiah, 386. 

Knowles, Quartermaster, at Mobile, 414; 
ties the Admiral, 415 ; quoted, 421. 

Knudsen, Mr., 77, 78, 503. 

Koszta, Martin, 177. 

Krebs, Anthony, 5. 

Kremlin, the, 492. 

Kroehl, Mr., his petard, 226 ; his proposi- 
tion to blow up the ludianola, 348. 

Krupp guns, 496. 

Laboratory at Old Point Comfort, Farra- 

gut visits the, 138. 
Lackawanna, at Mobile, 413 rf seq. 
Lafayette conveyed to France, 103. 
Landry, Philippe, 292. 
Lancaster, the ram, 348 ; its loss, 350, 

352. 
Lane, Pilot John J., 280. 
La Plata, Island of, 25. 
Laroimes, Rear-Admiral, 487. 
Lashed to the mast, Farragut, 426. 
Lathrop, R. D., 386. 
Lavalle, Gen., revolutionist, 109, 110. 
Lawrence, Capt., 13. 
Lawrence, Col., 637. 
Leary, Arthur, 386. 
Lectures at the Smithsonian Institution, 

165. 
Lee, Mr., pilot, 114. 
Lee, Commander S. Phillips, demands 

surrender of Vicksburg, 263. 
Lee, William H., 386. 
Leghorn, 58. 
Leopold, King of the Belgians, 521 ; and 

Queen, received on the Franklin, 522. 
Le Roy, Commander William E., at Mo- 

bile,"413 et seq. ; 487, 492, 497, 526, 537. 
Lessovski, Rear-Admiral, 490, 491, 497, 

498. 
Lewis, Mr., 127. 
Lichtenberg, Prince, 498. 
Lieber, Francis, 386. 
Lieutenancy, Farragut promoted to, 103. 
Lincoln, Abraham, 202, 204 ; his letter to 

Farragut, 303 ; at Richmond, 480. 
Linguistic powers, anecdote of Farragut's, 

547. 



Lisbon, 510. 

Little Dauphin Island, 408. 

Lochs, the Scottish, 524. 

London, Farragut's visit to, 505. 

Longfellow, Henry W., 526. 

Longo, Admiral, 537. 

Lopez, of Santa Fe, 108. 

Louisiana, rebel iron-clad, described, 247. 

Lovell, Gen. Mansfield, 228 ; Farragut's 
letter to, on guerilla warfare, 264. 

Low, A. A., 388, 477. 

Low, A. A. & Brothers, 386. 

Lowry, Lieut. -Commander R. B., his re- 
port on Port Hudson, 313. 

Lowry, R. IL, 386. 

Loyal Legion, Military Order of the, 541, 
542. 

Loyall, Miss Virginia, marries Commander 
Farragut, 155. 

Loyall, William, 155. 

Lunt, Master W. 0., his report, 296. 

Lyman, Midshipman, 43. 

Lyon, Col., 518. 

Mabia, General, 127. 

McAllister, Judge, 185. 

" Macbeth " in Italian, 513. 

McCabe, sailor, tries to shoot a pirate, 95. 

McCann, Lieut.-Commander William P., 

at Mobile, 413 e< seq. 
McCauley, Capt., 141. 
McClellan, Gen. George B., his repulse, 291. 
McCluney, Flag-Officer, 195. 
McCook, Midshipman, death of, 142. 
McCormick, Richard C, 386. 
McCurdy, Richard A., 386. 
McCurdy, Robert H., 386, 477. 
McDougal, Senator, moves vote of thanks 

to Farragut, 269. 
McDowall, Gov., 155. 
McFarland, at Mobile, 414. 
Mcintosh, Col. Charles, wounded, 261 ; 

quoted, 262. 
Mclven, the family of, 6. 
McKav, Mr., 7. 

McKean, Flag-Officer W. W., 209. 
McKiuley, at Mobile, 414. 
McKinstry, Capt. J. P., arrives at Port 

Hudson, 314 ; his report of the action, 

328 ; wounded, 320, 329, 345, 360. 
McKnight, Lieut., shoots Spafford, 21 ; 

mentioned, 33, 37. 
McLane, Hon. Robert M., 193, 196, 197, 

200. 
Macomb, Commander W. H., arrives at 

Port Hudson, 314; his report of the 

action, 332, 371. 



562 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Madison, President James, 52. 
Magruder, Gen. J. B., his proclamation, 

306. 
Mahon, Port, arrival at, 104. 
Major, Colonel, attacks Plaquemine, 371. 
Malaga, 56. 

Mali, Henry W. T., 386. 
Malmberg, Capt. F., 500. 
Maloney, Mr., 174, 1*75. 
Malta, 510 et seq. ; Knights of, 512 et seq. ; 

Archbishop of, visits Farragut, 519. 
Mandeville, Mr., 145. 
Manhattan, monitor, at Mobile, 412 et seq, 
Manley, Lieut. H. D. H., 518. 
Maranham, island of, 151. 
Marcellius, Madame, sister of Rosas, 144, 

145. 
Marchand, Capt. J. B., at Mobile, 413 et 

seq. 
Marchant, Miss Susan C, marries D. G. 

Farragut, 103. 
Mare Island Navy Yard, 168. 
Markoe, C, 199." 
Marquesas Islands, visit to, 27. 
Marriage, Farragut's to Miss Marchant, 

103; to Miss Loyall, 155. 
Marseilles, 62. 
Marsh, Hon. Geo. P., 536. 
Marshall, C. H., 477. 
Marshall, Midshipman, 98. 
Martin, Admiral, 508 ; Farragut dines 

with, 509. 
Martioni, Countess, her ball, 79. 
Mason, Secretary, letter from Farragut 

to, 156. 
Masorcura Club, 471. 
Massachusetts Bay, 27. 
Mata, bargaining with, 89. 
Mediterranean, first cruise in the, 56 ; 

second, 59; third, 81. 
Mejerda river, 69. 
Melrose Abbey, 524. 
Mercadal, 532. 
Mercer, Dr. W. N., Farragut visits, 307 ; 

mentioned, 379. 
Merchantman, Farragut takes passage in 

a, 82. 
Merchants, American, letter of thanks 

from, 198. 
Meredith, Paymaster William T., his 

poem, " Farragut's Morn," 459. 
Mervine, Commodore Wm., 173, 183, 190, 

191, 192. 
Mesquida, the name, 4. 
Messina, 80 ; Straits of, 58. 
Metacomet, at Mobile, 413 <?^ seq. 
Meteoric ball, explosion of a, 114. 



Metternich, Prince, 57. 

Mexican, conversation with a, 86. 

Mexico in revolution, 196; Farragut's 
land service in, 198. 

Miller, Dr. Robert, 12. 

Milne, Vice-Admiral, 505, 506. 

Miner, Midshipman, 100. 

Minorca, Farragut's visit to, 531. 

Miramon, 196. 

Mississippi, at Port Hudson, 315 et seq.; 
Capt. Smith's report of her destruction, 
330. 

Mississippi River, Farragut's ascent of it 
before the war, 200 ; difficulties of nav- 
igation with sea-going vessels, 269. 

Mitchell, Commodore John K., 216; jus- 
tifies his attempt to blow up Porter, 
242. 

Mob, a Moorish, 68. 

Mobile, Porter's opinion about it, 266 ; 
Farragut's anxiety to capture, 296 ; his 
calculations, 297 ; importance of, 462 ; 
Farragut's comments on, 469. 

Mobile Bay, Farragut reconnoiters, 391 ; 
preparations for attack on defenses of, 
404 ; battle of, 407 et seq. ; losses, 420 ; 
Farragut's thanks to his officers and 
crews, 421 ; Farragut's detailed report, 
428 ; prisoners, 464. 

Mocha, island of, 21. 

Mona Passage, the, 92. 

Monitor Bay, 413. 

Monkey, Farragut captures a, 97. 

Monnestin, 67. 

Monongahela, at Port Hudson, 315 et seq. ; 
Farragut hoists his flag on, 366 ; at 
Mobile, 413 e< seq. 

Monroe, John T., mayor of New Orleans, 
correspondence with Farragut, 235-241. 

Montenegro, Gen., 127. 

Montevideo, 109. 

Montgomery, Adjutant-General, 467. 

Montgomery, Dr. Alex. M., 12, 43, 79. 

Montgomery, Rev. Henry E., 541. 

Montgomery, Major James E., 492 ; ex- 
tracts from his journal, 510-530. 

Montijo, Countess de, 56, 531. 

Moore, engineer, suggestion as to cables, 
244 ; at Port Hudson, 328. 

Moore, Mr., 492. 

Moran, Mr., Secretary of Legation, 504, 
528. 

Morcock, Capt., 511. 

Morgan, Fort, Secretary Welles proposes 
attack upon, 284 ; described, 407 ; in- 
vested by Gen. Granger, 463 ; surren- 
dered, 464, 467. 



GENEKAL IKDEX. 



563 



Morris, Commodore H. W., 50, 103, 104, 
140, 143, 153, 164, 268, 277; letters 
from Farragut to, 369, 376, 470. 

Morris, Hon. Lovejoy, 538. 

Morse, United States Consul, 504. 

Mortars, Farragut's want of faith in, 210; 
schooners arrive at mouth of the Mis- 
sissippi, 217 ; Porter's description, 218 ; 
service at Vicksburg, 284. 

Moscow, 492. 

Mullany, Commander J. R. M., at Mobile, 
412 ct seq. ; wounded, 418, 426. 

Murat, palace of, 56. 

Murfreesboro, battle of, Farragut's opin- 
ion, 308. 

Murphy, Capt. P. V., at Mobile, 431. 

Murray, Capt. P. J., .511. 

Mutinies, 17, 26, 29. 

Myer, Col. Albert J., receives surrender 
of Fort Gaines, 466. 

Nantucket, 541. 

Naples, 53, 56, 534 ; King of, 57. 

Napier, Mr., 525. 

Napoleon III., Emperor, Farragut dines 
with, 487, 488. 

Narboro Island, volcano on, 25. 

Nash, Capt., 45-47. 

Nashville, rebel ram, sunk at Mobile, 
468. 

Nassau, N. P., 101. 

Natchez, the fleet passing, 273 ; Farragut 
anchors off, 336 ; note to the Mayor of, 
837. 

Neif, Mr., schoolmaster, 49. 

Nelson, Admiral Horatio, allusion to, 550. 

Nesbitt, George F., 477. 

Netley Abbey, 523. 

New Carthage, 342, 343. 

New Forest, 523. 

Newport, R, I., Farragut at, 13, 51. 

New Orleans, a visit to, 99 ; Farragut 
visits his sister at, 136 ; expedition 
against, 207 et seq. ; map of approaches 
to, 213 ; described, 215 ; its surrender 
demanded, 234 ; Farragut's detailed re- 
port of battle, 243 ; turned over to 
Gen. Butler, 243 ; Farragut returns to, 
365. 

Newton, Commander J. T., 95. 

New York, 104, 164; letter from citizens 
of, 385. 

Nice, Farragut at, 537. 

Nichols, Lieut. Ed. T., quoted, 265, 274. 

Nicholson, Commander J. W. A., at Mo- 
bile, 413. 

Nicola, Peter, 6, 



Nicolet, John B., 5. 

Nields, Lieut.-Commander Henry C, at 
Mobile, 423 ; his gallantry, 434. 

Nim's battery, 265. 

Nizhni Novgorod, 493-495. 

Norfolk, Va., 83, 89, 99, 101, 105, 112, 
115, 121, 136, 153; Farragut ordered 
to the Navy-yard, 156, 164 ; his last 
residence in, 203 ; he is driven from, 
204 ; he visits, after the war, 480. 

" Norther," a, 85. 

Norvell, C. C, 386. 

Noyes, William Curtis, 386. 

Nullification troubles, 113, 

Nyborg, 489, 501. 

Nye, E., 386. 

Obstruction of the Mississippi, 216. • 

O'Conor, Charles, 194. 

Octorora, at Mobile, 413 e< seq. 

Odenheimer, Lieut., 43, 

Ogden, Mr., 7. 

Ogden, Midshipman, 43, 62. 

Ogden, Commander, 142. 

Oneida, at Mobile, 413 e^ seq. 

Onondaga, in the James, 479, 

Opdyke, George, 477. 

Opera, Farragut and his son attend the, 

310. 
Ordnance officer, Farragut, at Norfolk, 

165. 
Ordnance regulations, Farragut draws up, 

164. 
Oreto, rebel cruiser, 296. 
Orleans, Duke of, his obsequies, 145. 
Osborne House, 529. 
Ossipee, at Mobile, 413 e< seq. 
Ostend, 521, 522. 
Oxford, England, 526, 

Page, Gen. R. L., 402, 433 ; defies Union 
forces, 463 ; surrenders, 464. 

Page, William, his picture of Farragut, 
426. 

Paget, Vice-Admiral, 510-512, 516, 520. 

Palmer, A. M., 386. 

Palmer, Gibson A., 386. 

Palmer, Capt. James S., takes command 
of Baton Rouge and Natchez, 263 ; 
promoted, 293 ; announces the fall of 
Vicksburg, 377 ; Farragut's letter of 
instructions to, 363 ; his gallantry, 364 ; 
his character, 364; at Mobile, 412 et 
seq. 

Palmer, Surgeon-General James C, at 
Mobile, 424 ; letter from Farragut to, 
424 ; extract from private journal, 427. 



564 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Palmer, Mr., acts as signal oflScer, 326. 

Pamperas described, 117. 

Para, 151. 

Parades, Gen., 1G3. 

Parahyba, excursion up the, 151. 

Paris, Count de, 505. 

Parker, Commodore Foxhall A., quoted, 
423. 

Parrott guns, Farragut's opinion of, 393. 

Paslcy, Admiral, 506, 508, 530. 

Patterson, Com. D. T., 9. 

Patterson, Capt., 104. 

Paulding, Capt. Hiram, 124. 

Paul Palace, the, 495. 

Pay, an officer's, Farragut on, 543. 

Payne, Midshipman, 100. 

Peabody, George, 540. 

Pearson, Lieut. -Com. F. C, 518. 

Pembina, at Mobile, 414. 

Pendergrast, Commodore, 208. 

Pendleton, Ensign C. H., 403. 

Pennington, Master Lewis, his captures 
on the Texas coast, 295. 

Pennock, Capt. A. M., 218, 497; com- 
mands the Franklin, 485 ct seq. ; Far- 
ragut his guest, 540 ; dies at his house, 
541. 

Pennock, Mrs. A. M., receives permission 
to sail in the Franklin, 485 ; mentioned, 
497, 530, 534. 

Penrose, Capt., at Richmond, 480. 

Pensacola, the Hartford goes to, 293. 

Perkins, Lieut.-Commander George H., at 
Mobile, 412 et seq. 

Perkins, Mr., Consul, 500. 

Pernambuco, arrival at, 116. 

Perry, Capt. R., 53. 

Perry, Commodore M. C, controversy with, 
159-164. 

Petards, 223, 226. 

Peter the Great, trophies of his battles, 
496. 

Pettinengo, Gen., 537. 

Plague in Tunis, 75, 78. 

Platen, Count, 500, 501. 

Plymouth, England, 508, 509. 

Philadelphia, Farragut visits, for his wife's 
health, 113. 

Pictui-e, a barbarous, 148. 

Pierson, Henry L., 396, 398. 

Pig, a fight for a, 44. 

Pilot, amusing incident with a, 104. 

Pinkham, Mr., 115. 

Pinkham, Commander, sword given to 
Farragut by, 399. 

Pinkney, Hon. William, 52, 53. 

Pinola, at Mobile, 414. 



Pirate, preparing for a supposed, 82 ; 
schooner captured, 94 ; chased by a, 
112. 

Pirates, cruise against, in the West In- 
dies, 91 ; adventure with, 95-97. 

Pisa, 79. 

Pius IX. blesses Farragut, 534. 

Poinsett, Hon. Joel R., 84, 85, 88, 89. 

Polk, Prest., 155. 

Pollard, E. A., Farragut's comment on his 
criticism, 362. 

Pomeroy, Lieut., 466. 

Pompeii, 56; Fai-ragut's visit to, 534-537. . 

Pontchartrain, Lake, Farragut's first sail- 
ing on, 9, 10. 

Poor, Henry V., 386. 

Port Adams, 285. 

Port au Prince, Farragut ordered to, 196. 

Porter, Sailing Master David, 9 ; death, 
10. 

Porter, Commodore David, 9 ; Farragut's 
obligations to, 10 ; return to Washing- 
ton, 11 ; takes command of the Essex, 
12 ; difficulty with a sailor, 14 ; sup- 
presses a mutiny, 17, 29 ; challenged 
by Sir James Yeo, 18 ; fights the 
Phoebe, 35 ; sent home, 45 ; escapes, 
46 ; reception in New York, 48 ; as 
naval commissioner, 52 ; his mosquito 
fleet, 89 ; court-martialed, 91 ; letter 
from, 121 ; allusion to, 483. 

Porter, Mrs. David, 11. 

Porter, Admiral David D., his biography 
of his father, 91 ; his mortars, 210 ; his 
objections to running by the forts, 222 ; 
sends mortar-boats behind Ft. Jackson, 
241 ; rebels try to blow up his flotilla, 
242 ; quoted as to Mobile, 266 ; opens 
on Vicksburg, 275 ; ordered home, 286 ; 
Avith Sherman in Deer Creek, 338 ; his 
dummy ram, 338 ; correspondence with 
Farragut, 345-355, 360, 381 ; his fleet 
enters Red River, 362 ; takes Alex- 
andria, 365 ; arrives at New Orleans, 
383 ; at Richmond, 480. 

Porter, Lieut. John, 90. 
• Porter, Commander Wm. D., attacks the 
ram Arkansas, 287, 289. 

Porter, Mrs. William D., death of, 124. 

Porto Farma, 69. 

Port Hudson, the rebels fortify, 297 ; its 
strength, 298 ; Farragut's general order 
relative to, 311 ; description of the 
place, 313 ; order of ships for passing, 
315 ; Farragut passes, 316 ; official re- 
port of the action at, 322 ; losses in the 
Union fleet at the battle of, 335 ; the 



GENERAL INDEX. 



565 



Hartford anchors above, 357 ; siege, 

366, 370 ; capitulation of, 380 ; Capt. 

Jeuldns's letter on, 380. 
Port Mahon, 54, 59, 531. 
Porto Bello, 196. 
Portraits, royal, 530. 
Port Royal, at JJobile, 413 et seq. 
Portsmouth and Ryde, Farragut visits, 

104, 506. 
Portugal, Queen of, 112 ; her mother, 112, 

note. 
Posilippo, 57. 
Posniak, Col., 492. 
Powder division, peculiar organization of, 

137. 
Powell, Fort, bombarded, 392 ; blown up, 

423. 
Prediction of Farragut's fame, 71. 
Presentation of government bonds, 476. 
Presidency of the United States, Farra- 
gut's remarks on, 394, 471, 545. 
President Roads, 61. 
Prickly pear of the Galapagos, 24. 
Princess Royal, service at Donaldsonville, 

372. 
Prize-money, Farragut on, 294 ; what he 

did with his first, 385. 
Promotion, Farragut's first, 81; "too 

young for," 102. 
Prophet's Island, 314, 322, 323. 
Provana, Admiral, 535 ; his banquet to 

Farragut, 537. 
Provisions floated past Vicksburg, 347. 
Pueblo Yiejo, amusement at, 88. 
Purdy, Capt., 508. 

Quarantine at Leghorn, 58. 

Queen of the West, lost in Red River, 

336. 
Quinta, a, 143. 
Quiroja, of Rioja, 108. 

Raasloff, Mr., 501. 

Race with an English packet, 81. 

Ram, Porter's dummy, 338. 

Ramsay, Capt., 243 ; at Port Hudson, 327. 

Ransom, Lieut. -Commander Geo. M., his 

capture of cattle, 296. 
Ray, Lieut., 79, 80. 
Raymond, Henry J., 386. 
Read, Lieut. -Commander Abner, 301 ; 

mortally wounded, 378 ; Farragut's 

opinion of, 378. 
Read, Ensign J., at Port Hudson, 316, 317. 
Ream, Miss Vinnie, 542. 
Rear-Admiral, Farragut commissioned, 

292. 



Receptions to Farragut, at New York 
Custom-House, 474 ; at Hastings on the 
Hudson, 479 ; at Norfolk, Va., 480 ; in 
Boston, 482. 

Red River blockaded, 335 ; its impor- 
tance to the rebels, 346, 351. 

Reed, Capt., 104. 

Reed, Midshipman J. H., 243. 

Religious sentiments, Farragut's, 548. 

Rcushaw, Capt., 85. 

Renshaw, Commander W. B., his capture 
of Galveston, 296 ; his death, 304. 

Resolutions of Merchants' Committee, 474. 

Retchikoff, Capt., 496. 

Reynaud, Vice-Admiral, 486-489. 

Rich, Col. and Mrs., 518. 

Richmond, Farragut enters, 480. 

Richmond, the, leads the line at Vicks- 
burg, 273 ; at Port Hudson, 315 et seq. ; 
at. Mobile, US et seq. 

Ridgely, Capt., 50, 51. 

Ridley, Gen., 518. 

Rincion, Gen., 129, 131. 

Rio de Janeiro, arrival at, 140 ; box-haul- 
ing in the harbor of, 150. 

Rio de la Plata, Farragut ordered to, 107. 

Ritchakoff, Capt., 492.' 

Ritter, the "murder" of, 193. 

Rivadiva, President, 108. 

River fight, the, 228 et seq. ; Brownell's 
poem, 251. 

Roach, Adam, 40, 45. 

Robbins, G. P., 386. 

Roberts, Marshall 0., 477. 

Robinson, Mr., 77. 

Robles, Gen., 198. 

Rockets, Hale's, 507. 

Rodgers, Commodore John, 12. 

Rodgers, Capt., 53. 

Rodney, 285. 

Roessle, T., 536. 

RoUand, Capt., 511. 

Rome, 58, 534. 

Rome, Acting Master's Mate Henry B., at 
Port Hudson, 329. 

Roodes, Casati, 145. 

Roosevelt, Theodore, 396, 398. 

Rosas, Juan Manuel de, 108; becomes 
Dictator, 109 ; his horsemanship, etc., 
109; anecdote with Lavallc, 110; Gov- 
ernor, 143, 145, 147 ; quoted, 471. 

"Rosas, feast of the month of," 146. 

Rosecrans, Gen. W. S., 309, 310. 

Rosengren, Capt., 520. 

Rousseau, Lieut., 98. 

Rudini, Marchese di, 537. 

"Ruff," negro boy, 43. 



566 



GENERAL INDEX. 



Russell, Lieut. John, 274. 
Rutledge, Mrs., 115. 

Sabine city captured, 295. 

Sable Island, Butler's forces rendezvous 
at, 241. 

Sacrificios, island of, 126. 

Sailor, a, captures a Texan soldier, 373. 

Sailors, anecdotes of, 14, 20, 40, 43. 

St. Bartholomew, 99, 

St. Catherine, 19. 

St. Gauden, Mr., 542. 

St. Kitts, 99. 

St. Petersburg, 491, 492, 495. 

St. Teter's Island, 11. 

St. Philip, Fort, described, 215. 

Salutes, etiquette of, 140. 

Sand Island, 391, 393; channel, 413. 

Sands, Lieut. Joshua, 107. 

Sanford, Hon. Mr., 521 ; and Mrs., 522. 

San Juan, the Fox fired into in the har- 
bor of, 93. 

San Juan de Ulloa, Castle of, 84, 125 ; 
the French bombard, 128 ; Farragut 
visits and describes, 129 ; more fully in 
letter to Com. Barron, 132; Farragut's 
eagerness to attack, 157 ; its surrender 
to Scott, 158; how Farragut proposed 
to capture, 233. 

Santa Anna, Farragut dines with, 84 ; 125, 
131, 132. 

Santiago de Cuba, 99. 

Saunders, Commander, 153, 

Sawyer gun burst, 392 ; its character, 393. 

Saxe-Cobourg, Duke of, 530. 

Schell, Richard, 477. 

School, Farragut establishes one on re- 
ceiving-ship, 105. 

Schultze, Mr., 494. 

Scotchman, anecdote of a young, 42. 

Scott, David B., 386. 

Scott, Gen. Winfield, 115. 

Seals, killing, 23. 

Seamen, aged, discharge of, 115. 

Seaton, Mr., 82. 

Sebago, at Mobile, 414. 

Secor, Charles A., 386, 

Secret societies, 143, 470, 

Seminole, at Mobile, 413 et seq. 

Sewall's Point, erection of battery at, 205, 

Seymour, Capt. Beauchamp, 508, 

Seymour, J., 386. 

Shaler, Mr., 53. 

Shattuck, Judge, quoted, 176. 

Shaw, Capt., 53, 59. 

Shaw, Commodore, 54, 

Shaw, Purser John R., 12. 



Sheerncss, 506. 

Shells, how charged, 138. 

Shepard, Ensign, at Port Hudson, 366, 

370. 
Shepley, Gen. G. F., at Richmond, 480. 
Sherman, Gen. T. W., 367, 
Sherman, Gen. W. T., 173 ; his success, 

347. 
Shine, Elizabeth, marries George Farra- 
gut, 7. 
Ship Island, rendezvous at, 211. 
Shoeburyness, gun practice at, 505. 
" Shorty," Farragut's fight with, 44, 
Shubrick, Lieut. B., 52 ; Admiral, 547. 
Shueke, F. W., 199, 
Shute, Colonel, 518, 
Sibyl's Cave, 57. 
Sicily, 53. 

Sidi Mohammed, anecdote of, 68, 
Sidi Soliman, 69. 

Signal-book thrown overboard, 41, 
Signal orders, extract from Russian, 499, 
Signals, squadron exercised by, 51, 
Silliman, Prof., his lectures, 105. 
Sinclair, Arthur, quoted, 261. 
Sinclair, Lieut.-Commander, 14. 
Skaw, the, 489. 
Skiddy, Francis, 477. 
Skinner, Commodore Charles, 158. 
Sloan, Samuel, 477. 
Smith, Mr., of Baltimore, 82. 
Smith, Capt., 14. 
Smith, Dennis A., 88. 
Smith, E. Delafield, 386, 
Smith, Commodore Joseph, 207, 
Smith, Gen. Kirby, 361, 
Smith, Capt. Melancton, encounter with 

ram Manassas, 262 ; his report of the 

loss of the Mississippi at Port Hudson, 

330. 
Smithsonian Institution, lectures at the, 

165. 
Smoot, Commander, 136, 155. 
Soldiers, Farragut on, 544. 
Somerfield, Mr., 104. 
Somerset, Duchess of, Farragut dines with, 

505 ; what he said to her, 547, 
Somerville, Lieut., 97. 
Song, British sailors', 514. 
Songs, rebel, sung by English sailors, 

307. 
Soul6, Pierre, dictates letters of Mayor 

Monroe, 235, 
Soulouque, Emperor, 195. 
Southampton, 526 ; invitation of Mayor, 

527. 
Southard, Hon. S, L., 105, 



GENERAL INDEX. 



56Y 



Rpafford, James, shot, 21. 

Spanish, learning, 88. 

Speeches by Farragut, in New York, 475 ; 
in Norfolk, Va., 481. 

Speed, trials of, 107, 116, 120. 

Speights, Engineer, at Port Hudson, 317. 

Spencer, Gen., 508, 509. 

Squadron, adventure with an English, 92 ; 
compliments exchanged, 93. 

Squadron tactics, 153. 

Squella, Signor Don Gabriel, 533. 

Stanley, Commander, 139. 

Stanley, Lord, 504. 

Stanton, E. D., 386. 

Statues of Farragut, 542. 

Sterlitz, 494. 

Stetson, C. A., 386. 

Stevens, John Austin, 388, 389. 

Stevens, J. Austin, jr., 386. 

Stevens, Commander Thomas II., at Mo- 
bile, 413. 

Stewart, A. T., 386. 

Stewart, Commodore Charles, 80, 81. 

Stewart, John A., 477. 

Stewart, Surgeon, 509. 

Stewart, Lieut. Walter, 518. 

Stirling Castle, 524. 

Stores, naval, bad management of, 116. 

Stout, A. v., 386. 

Stribling, Commander, 94, 140, 158. 

Strong, Commander James H., at Mobile, 
413 ei seq. 

Success, Farragut on, 544. 

Sullivan, Yankee, his suicide, 172. 

Sultan, Farragut received by the, 537. 

Sumter, Confederate cruiser, Farragut's 
theory as to, 206. 

Sundon, Commodore, 490. 

Supper, a Tunisian, 66. 

Surgeon, anecdote of a, 99. 

Susa, 64. 

Swann, Ensign T. L., at Port Hudson, 328, 
366, 370. 

Swartwout, Commander Samuel, 185, 229. 

Swasey, Lieut. Charles, his death, his 
character, 296. 

Swim of twenty miles, a, 30. 

Switzerland, the ram, passes Vicksburg, 
350 ; sent to Grand Gulf, 360. 

Sword presented to Farragut, 396. 

Swordsmen, good, 31. 

Syracuse, 58. 

Szymanski, Col., captured with his regi- 
ment, 247. 

Talleyrand, M., 497. 

Tamaha swims twenty miles, 30. 



Tampico, adventures in a journey to, 86, 
87; revolution in, 127. 

Taney, Chief Justice, 139. 

Tatham, Capt., 509. 

Taylor, Commodore, 119. 

Taylor, Moses, 477. 

Taylor, Gen. Richard, 335 ; captures Bra- 
shear city, 371. 

Taylor, Robert L., 386. 

Taylor, Midshipman William, 51. 

Tecumseh, monitor, 404, 405 ; at Mobile, 
412 ct scq. ; destroyed by a torpedo, 
416, 430; what Farragut said of her 
loss, 422. 

Ten Eyck, Capt., 126. 

Tennessee, as flag-ship, 393 ; at Mobile, 
414. 

Tennessee, rebel iron-clad, 393 ; described, 
408 ; surrendered, 420 ; details of at- 
tack on, 432. 

Terrapins thrown overboard, 23. 

Terry, Judge D. S., 173-188. 

Terry, Lieut. -Commander Edward, at Port 
Hudson, 327, 366, 370. 

TertuUas, 143. 

Testa, Countess, Farragut's reply to, 
80. 

Tetanus, 118. 

Texas, disasters on the coast of, 304. 

Thomas, Lieut. N. W., his report of the 
action at Port Hudson, 329. 

Thompson, Launt, 542. 

Thomson, Mason, 386. 

Thornton, Lieut. James S., Farragut's 
opinion of, 404. 

Thornhill, Lieut., 518. 

Ticknor, George, 531. 

Toar, 64. 

Torpedoes, at Mobile, 408, 411, 416; 
picking up, 464, 502. 

Tourniquet, Farragut's, 317. 

Tourville, Anne Hilarion de Contentin, 
French Admiral, allusion to, 550. 

Tripoli, 50, 58. 

Tripp, Capt., 11. 

Trosachs, the, 524. 

Trongsund, 498. 

Tulin, Mrs., 77. 

Tunis, 58 ; study and travel in, 61-70. 

Tunny fishery, 74. 

Turner, Nat., killed, 113. 

Tuscany, Grand Duke of, 79. 

Tyler, President, 140; his bride, 155. 

Typees and Happars, battles with, 28. 

Tyson, Lieut. H. B., at Port Hudson, 316 ; 
at Mobile, 403 ; at siege of Fort Mor- 
gan, 464, 468. 



568 



GENEEAL INDEX. 



Union League Club, members of, present 
a sword to Farragut, S96 ; his reply, 
398. 

"Unitarians," tlae party called, 108. 

" United Service Magazine," quoted, 549. 

Upshur, Hon. Abel P., laughs at Farra- 
gut's pretensions, 153. 

Utica, ancient, 69. 

Valetta, 510. 

Vallejo, Cal, 168; Farragut's visit to, 
539, 540. 

Valparaiso, 22, 32. 

Van Doni, Gen., 283. 

Van Nostrand, D., 386. 

Van Tromp, Maarten, Dutch Admiral, al- 
lusion to, 483. 

Vera Cruz, blockade of, 125 ; Farragut 
goes to, 196, 197. 

Vermilye, J. D., 386. 

Vermilye, W. M., 386. 

Vessels mentioned: Acosta, 17; Agin- 
court, 142, 508, 509 ; Albatross, 28 
Alert, 15, 105; Alexander Barclay, 22 
25 ; Alexander Nevski, 538 ; Alice 
300; America, 82, 83; Antelope, 15 
Arethusa, 511, 520; Argus, 14; Arizo 
na, 364 ; Arthur, 295 ; Atlantic, 25 
Augusta Dinsmore, 437 ; Baltic, 469 
Barnegat, 112; Beagle, 95; Belvidere 
142; Benton, 218, 286, 362, 382; Ber 
muda, 399 ; Bison, 140 ; Black Hawk, 
383; Bon Homme Richard, 32; Bos 
ton, 107; Boxer, 51, 119, 120, 121 
Brandvwine, 103, 104; Brooklyn, 192, 
200, 217; Cairo, 381; Caledonia, 511 
Canandaigua, 498, 503, 510, 526; Ca- 
yuga, 228, 229, 284; Caradoc, 511 
Carondelet, 286, 382 ; Catherine, 25 
Cherub, 32; Chippewa, 51; Choctaw 
382; Cincinnati, 381; Clifton, 295 
304, 369; Colorado, 213, 217, 228 
Conemaugh, 405 ; Congress, 14, 50, 51 
112; Connecticut, 271; Conrad, 27 
Constellation, 53, 124 ; Constitution 
19, 104 ; Corypha3us, 304 ; Creole, 130 
Cuba, 300 ; Cyane, 140 ; Dakota, 214 
Dale, 541 ; Decatur, 142, 143, 150, 152 
153, 192; De Kalb, 381, 382; Dela 
ware, 137, 142, 150; Donegal, 402 
Dunderberg, 488; Dunois, 126; Endy 
mion, 511, 520; Enterprise, 51, 116 
Epervier, 50, 51 ; Erie, 50, 51, 53, 62 
72, 125, 136; Essex, 9, 11, 12, 13, 287 
289, 314, 368; Essex Junior, 25, 26 
28, 29 ; Estrella, 364, 466 ; Excellent, 
607; Experiment, 113, 114; Fenimore 



Cooper, 186; Ferret, 93, 100; Firefly, 
51; Flambeau, 51; Formidable, 504; 
Fox, 93 ; Franklin, 80, 81 ; Frolic, 489, 
498, 537 ; Gaines, 408 ; Galatea, 526, 
527, 529 ; Gallinipper, 94 ; Gefle, 520 ; 
Gen. Armstrong, 18; Genesee, 314, 
381 ; Georgiaua, 22, 25 ; Glasgow, 402, 
463 ; Gov. Moore, 230 ; Greenwich, 25 ; 
Greyhound, 90, 91, 92, 93, 95, 98; 
Guard, 510; Guerriere, 50, 51, 81, 107, 
140, 541 ; Harkaway, 140 ; Hartford, 
72; Harriet Lane, 242, 295; Hector, 
25, 529 ; Henly, 93 ; Henry Janes, 295 ; 
Herman, 126; Hibernia, 511 ; Hornet, 
13, 19; Hudson, 107; Hunts ville, 469 ; 
Hyperion, 117; Independence, 50,51, 
192; Indianola, 311, 381; Ino, 284; 
Iphigenie, 126, 129; Iroquois, 214; 
(at New Orleans), 232 et seq. ; Island 
Home, 541 ; Itasca (at New Orleans), 
232 et seq. ; Ivy, 362 ; Jackson, 392 ; 
Java, 53, 112;" John Adams, 50, 83, 
84, 85, 88, 89, 170-188; John Grif- 
fiths, 392; John Hancock, 185; Ka- 
tahdin, 220, 230; Kearsarge, 284; 
Kenna, 93 ; Kennebec (at New Orleans), 
232 et seq. ; Kensington, 295 ; Kineo, 
220, 230, 313, 371, 380; Lafayette, 
362; Laurel, 125; La Fortuna, 129; 
La Gloire, 128, 129; L'Armide, 140; 
Levant, 124; Lexington, 116; Lord 
Clyde, 511, 620, 521; Lord Warden, 
511, 520; Louisiana, 242; Louisville, 
382 ; Loyall, 424, 425, 427, 463 ; Lynx, 
51; Macedonian, 51; McRea, 232; 
Manassas, 216, 230; Medea, 129; Mi- 
ami, 212; Jlincrva, 15; Mississippi, 

212, 217; Monarch, 540; Mononga- 
hela, 314; Montague, 20; Montezuma, 
22, 25 ; Morgan, 408, 469 ; Mosquito, 
94; Mound City, 382; Narcissus, 47; 
Nashville, 392; Natchez, 112, 113, 115, 
119, 120; Nautilus, 13; Nereyda, 22; 
New London, 301, 375 ; New Zealand, 
27 ; Nimrod, 27 ; Nocton, 20 ; Oneida, 

213, 229, 296 ; Ontario, 51, 53, 54 ; Ore- 
to, 296, 390 ; Owasco, 295, 304 ; Pawnee, 
484 ; Peacock, 53 ; Pennsylvania, 155 ; 
Pensacola, 217; (at New Orleans) 230 
et seq. ; Pctropavlosk, 498 ; Phoebe, 32 ; 
Pigeon, 81, 120; Pilot, 95; Pinola, 
226 ; (at New Orleans) 232 et seq. ; 
Pittsburg, 362 ; Policy, 22 ; Ports- 
mouth, 229 ; Potomac, 120 ; President, 
13; Price, 378; Prince Albert, 509; 
Princess Alice, 508 ; Princess Royal, 
119, 371 ; Psyche, 511, 520; Queen of 



GEKEEAL INDEX. 



569 



the West, 286, 311; Rachel Seaman, 
295 ; Reliance, 369 ; Rhode Island, 295 ; 
Richmond, 213, 303; Rinaldo, 306; 
Ringdove, 17 ; Rose, 25 ; R. R. Cuyler, 
296; Rui-ic, 496; Sachem, 295, 304, 
314; St. Louis, 107; Saratoga, 157, 
197 ; San Jacinto, 411 ; Satellite, 127 ; 
Saturn, 45 ; Saxon, 241 ; Sciota, 220 ; 
(at New Orleans) 232 ct seq., 296, 313 ; 
Seagull, 98, 99 ; Selma, 408 ; Seringa- 
patam, 27; Shamrock, 510; Shannon, 
17; Shark, 81; Sir Andrew Hammond, 
27; Smertch, 499; Spark, 50, 51, 53; 
Spitfire, 51; Star of the West, 168; 
Sterling Price, 362 ; Sumter, 205, 287; 
Susquehanna, 284 ; Swatara, 523 ; Tal- 
lapoosa, 540 ; Tennessee, 380 ; Teviot, 
163; Ticonderoga, 489, 498, 503, 510, 
522; Torch, 51 ; Tuscaloosa, 469 ; Tus- 
cumbia, 382; Tyler, 286; Tyriau, 511, 
520; United States, 14, 53; Valagie, 
125; Vandalia, 107, 111 ; Varuna, 214, 
229; Vesuvius, 11; Victoria and Al- 
bert, 527, 529; Victory, 508; Vixen, 
11; Wabash, 213; Wachusett, 213; 
Warren, 168, 192 ; Warrior, 231 ; 
Washington, 51, 112, 139, 140 ; Water 
Witch, 507; Weasel, 93; Westfield, 
295 ; Winona (at New Orleans), 232 d 
scg-., 371 ; Wissahickou, 230; Wizard, 
511. 

Vesuvius, Mt., 56. 

Viborg, 499. 

Vice- Admiral, the grade created, 478. 

Vicksburg, summoned to surrender, 263 ; 
Farragut first reaches, 265 ; why Far- 
ragut did not attack it, 266 ; his second 
approach to, 271 ; his order for attack, 
273 ; the attack, 275 ; detailed report 
of the attack on, 277; the force neces- 
sary to take it, 283 ; the Hartford an- 
chors at, 338 ; Farragut's suggestion 
as to the capture of, 345. 

Victor Emanuel, King of Italy, Farragut 
the guest of, 534. 

Victoria, Queen, visit of Farragut and his 
party to, 529. 

Virginia secession convention, 203. 

Vigilance Committee, San Francisco, 169; 
Farragut's correspondence concei'ning, 
172. 

Volcano in eruption, 25. 

Voorhees, Capt., 99. 

Wainwright, Commander R., extinguishes 
fire on the Hartford, 246, 274; his 
death, 287. 



Wake, Capt., 511. 

Wales, H. R. H. Prince of, 527, 528. 

Walker, Capt. W. S., 201. 

Walker, Vice-Admiral, 504. 

Wallis, AVilliam, death of, 489. 

Walsh, Robert, 140. 

War, declaration of, against Great Britain, 
13. 

War of the rebellion, Farragut's opinion 
on, 310. 

Warberg, Emil, 500. 

Warden, Admiral, 530. 

Warrenton, the fleet reaches, 273 ; bat- 
teries fire on the Hartford, 339 ; pro- 
posed expedition to, 341, 342. 

Warrington, Commodore, 81 ; his death, 
164. 

Water Nymphs, temple of the, 64. 

Watnough, Col, 139. 

Watson, Mr., 492. 

Watson, Lieut., 94. 

Watson, Lieut. J. Crittenden, quoted, 231, 
426 ; at Port Hudson, 310 ; as flag-lieu- 
tenant, 390 ; at Mobile, 402, 403, 414 ; 
mentioned, 431, 464, 467. 

Watters, Commander John, his report of 
the action at Port Hudson, 332 ; men- 
tioned, 371. 

Waxholm, 500. 

Weaver, Lieut.-Commander A. W., shells 
Plaquemine, 371. 

Weir, Capt., 25. 

Weitzel, Lieut., opinion of Forts Jackson 
and St. Philip, 219, 298 ; at Port Hud- 
son, 367 ; at Richmond, 480. 

Weldes, Ensign, 468. 

Welles, Gideon, dispatches from, 208, 
212, 284, 322; congratulates Farragut 
on battle of Port Hudson, 335 ; letter 
of congratulation to Farragut on battle 
of Mobile Bay, 438 ; on capture of Fort 
Morgan, 465 ; his explanation as to 
operations against Wilmington, 472. 

Wellesley, Rear-Admiral, 506, 508. 

Wells, Lieut.-Commauder Clark H,, at 
Mobile, 413 e< seq. 

Wemple, Ensign David, at Port Hudson, 
316. 

Westfield destroyed, 304. 

Wetmore, Prosper M., 386. 

Wetmore, Samuel, 477. 

White, Robert, 29. 

White Sulphur Springs, visit to, 164. 

Whiting, EnsignW. H.,403 ; at Mobile,425. 

Whittle, Lieut. Wm. C, 242. 

Wilkinson, Capt. John, 226 ; quoted, 233. 

Williams, Gen. Thomas, 265 ; at Vicks- 



570 



GENERAL INDEX. 



burg, 267, 279, 280, 283; reembarks 

for Baton Rouge, 287 ; his death, 288. 
Williams, incites mutiny, 194. 
Wilmer, Lieut. James P., 12 ; killed, 43. 
Wilmington, the naval operations against, 

472. 
Wilson, Gov., 163. 
Wilson, Lieut. James, 12. 
Wilson, Acting Master, at Port Hudson, 

327. 
Winnebago, monitor, at Mobile, 412 et seq. 
Winona, at Donaldsonville, 372. 
Winslow, Capt. John A., 403, 404. 
Winthrop, B. R., 386. 
Winthrop, William, U. S. Consul, 511 ; 

and Mrs., 518. 
Wissahickon, fired upon at Grand Gulf, 

263. 
Wood, at Mobile, 414. 
Wood, Col., Farragut's arrangement with, 

349. 



Woodlawn Cemetery, 542. 
Woods, Col, 518. 
Wool, Gen. John E., 173. 
Woolsey, Commodore, 120. 
Woolsey, Lieut.-Commander, in command 
at Donaldsonville, 371. 

Yale college, Farragut attends lectures at, 

105. 
Yancey, William L., 211. 
Yates, Lieut. A. R., at Mobile, 414, 436. 
Ybarra, of Santiago, 108. 
Yeaman, Mr., U. S. Minister, 501, 502. 
Yellow fever, 98, 100 ; Farragut takes, 

158. 
Yeo, Sir James, challenges Porter, 18. 
York, England, 523. 
Young's Point, 338. 

Zantzinger, Capt. J. P., 113, 115. 
Zimmerman, Mr. G., 145. 



APPENDIX. 



LIST OF VESSELS AND OFFICEES AT THE CAPTURE OF 
THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, APRIL 24, 1862. 

Those ivho were killed or mortally wounded are indicated thus,* ; wounded, thus, f . 



Steam- Sloop "JSart/ord^^ {Flag-Shi})). 



Flag-Officer, David G. Farragut, 

Fleet-Captain, Henry H. Bell. 

Commander, Richard Wainwright. 

Lieutenants, James S. Thornton and Al- 
bert Kautz. 

Fleet Surgeon, J. M. Foltz. 

Surgeon, Stewart Kennedy. 

Assistant Surgeon, Joseph Hogg. 

Paymaster, George Plunkett. 

Chief Engineer, James B. Kimball. 

Master, John C. Watson. 

Acting Masters, Daniel S. Murphy, Ezra 
S. Goodwin, Horace J. Draper, and 
Albert Cook. 

Second Assistant Engineers, John Pindy, 

Steam-Frigate " Colorado." 
Captain, Theodorus Bailey. 
Lieutenants, John L. Davis, Joseph E. 

De Haven, and Robert Boyd. 
Surgeon, Philip S. Wales. 
Assistant Surgeons, Morris H. Henry, 

Adrian Hudson, and J. Otis Bush. 
Paymaster, A. W. Russell. 
Chief Engineer, George Gideon. 
Acting Masters, John Sherrill, Joseph W. 

Tuck, James Taylor, Tecumseh Teece, 

and William B. Stoddard. 
First Assistant Engineer, Loyd A.Williams 
37 



Edward B. Latch, and Fletcher A. 

Wilson. 
Third Assistant Engineers, Conrad J. 

Cooper, Charles M. Burchard, Isaac De 

Graff, and Albert H. Fulton. 
Acting Midshipmen, Herbert B. Tyson, 

Edward C. Hazeltine, John Henry 

Read, and Henry J. Blake. 
Acting Master's Mates, Edwin J. Allen, 

Thomas Mason, Lewis S. Locke, and 

George H. Loundsberry. 
Boatswain, James Walker. 
Acting Gunner, John Duncan. 
Acting Carpenter, James H. Conley. 
Fleet-Captain's Clerk, Thos. B. Waddel. 



Acting First Assistant Engineer, David 
Eraser. 

Second Assistant Engineer, J. Cox Hull. 

Acting Second Assistant Engineer, John 
Fraser. 

Third Assistant Engineers, Albert Mur- 
ray, L. L. Olmstead, William L. Smith, 
George H. White, Webster Lane, and 
Isaac R. McNary. 

Acting Midshipmen, F. J. Higgenson and 
William R. Bridgeman. 

Acting Master's Mates, Alexander Cash- 



572 



APPENDIX. 



man, Nathaniel Hobbs, Moses W. 

Stone, Augustus Farrell, and David T. 

Potter. 
Boatswain, Zachariah Witmarsh. 
Gunner, James D. Barton. 



Carpenter, George E. Anderson. 
Sailmaker, Joseph C. Bradford. 
Coast Pilot, Daniel Pepper. 
Captain's Clerk, B. F. Monroe. 
Paymaster's Clerk, William R. Upham. 



Steam-Sloop ^'' PensacolaP 



Captain, Henry W. Morris. 

Lieutenants, F. A. Roe and Jas. Stillwell. 

Surgeon, J. Winthrop Taylor. 

Paymaster, George L. Davis. 

Acting Surgeon, W, B. Dick. 

Second Lieutenant Marines, John C. Har- 

ris.f 
Chief Engineer, S. D. Hebbert. 
Acting Masters, E. C. McKay and E. C. 

Schultz.f 
Second Assistant Engineers, S. L. P. 
Ayres and C. H. Ball. 

Steam-Sloop ^^ Brooklyn.''^ 



Third Assistant Engineers, T. G. Smith, 
J. L. Vanclain, J. T. Mercer, J. T. 
Hawkins, George W. Magee, and John 
C. Huntley, t 

Gunner, D. A. Roe. 

Boatswain, Wilson Goodrich.f 

Carpenter, Joseph B. Cox.f 

Acting Master's Mates, George A. Storm, 
'George DoUiver,-)- Alfred Reynolds,f 
Joseph Kent, and Charles Gainsford. 

Paymaster's Clerk, George C. Richardson. 



Captain, Thomas T. Craven. 

Lieutenant, R. B. Lowry. 

Surgeon, Samuel Jackson. 

Assistant Surgeon, James S. Knight. 

Paymaster, Charles W. Abbot. 

Chief Engineer, William B. Brooks. 

Masters, J. C. Stafford, f George Dewhurst, 
Lyman Wells, and James O'Kane.f 

Acting Master, Thomas B. Beekering. 

First Assistant Engineer, B. E. Chassaing. 

Second Assistant Engineers, James At- 
kins, Alexander V. Eraser, Jr., and 
James H. Morrison. 

Sloop ^^ Portsmouth.''^ 



Third Assistant Engineers, Charles F. 
Mayer, Jr., B. D. Clemens, Jacob L. 
Bright, and Joseph Morgan, Jr. 

Midshipman, John Anderson.* 

Acting Midshipmen, H. T. Grafton and 
John R. Bartlett. 

Master's Mates, Henry C. Leslie, Robert 
Beardsley, William Taber, and E. S. 
Lowe.f 

Captain's Clerk, Joseph G. Swift. 

Paymaster's Clerk, William Robert- 
son. 



Commander, Samuel Swartwout. 
Lieutenant, Philip C. Johnson. 
Surgeon, J. S. Duncan. 
Assistant Surgeon, H. M. Wells. 
Assistant Paymaster, Casper Schenck. 
Master, Francis 0. Davenport. 



liam G. Mitchell, and Gilbert Rich- 
mond. 

Acting Midshipman, Walter Abbot. 

Master's Mates, John Smith, Thomas P. 
Jones, Thomas B. Gammon, and Sidney 
S. Beck. 



Acting Masters, Andrew A. Ward, Wil- Acting Gunner, Thomas Cassidy. 
Assistant Sailmaker, Henry J. Hayden. 

Steam-Sloop " Oneida.'''' 
Commander, S. Philips Lee. Chief Engineer, Francis C. Dade. 

Lieutenant, Montgomery Sicard. Surgeon, John Y. Taylor. 



PARTICIPANTS AT NEW ORLEANS. 



573 



Paymaster, Charles W. Uassler. 

Master, Francis S. Brown. 

Acting Masters, Pierre Giraud, Thomas 

Edwards, and Elijah Rose. 
Midshipmen, Frederick J. Naile, and 

George W. Wood. 
Second Assistant Engineers, Horace Mc- 

Murtrie and Ruben H. Fitch. 
Third Assistant Engineers, Alfred T. 



Brower, George W, Stivers, and Rich- 
ard M. Hodgson. 

Captain's Clerk, Charles W. Higgins. 

Acting Boatswain, James Herold. 

Acting Gunner, William Parker. 

Acting Master's Mates, Edward Bird, 
Daniel Clark, George B. Ailing, and 
John J. Earle, Jr. 



Stea rn- Slo op ' 'Miss iss ij^j^ ^. " 



Captain, Melancton Smith. 
Lieutenant, George Dewey. 
Surgeon, Robert T. Maccoun. 
Assistant Surgeon, J. W. Shively. 
Paymaster, T. M. Taylor. 
Chief Engineer, William H. Rutherford. 
Marine Officer, Captain P. H. W. Fontaine 
Acting Masters, Frederick T. King,f Geo. 

Munday, Charles F. Chase, Robert L. 

Kelly, and F. E. Ellis. 

Carpenter, 



Ensigns, A. S. Barker, 0. A. Batcheller, 

and Edwin M. Shepard. 
First Assistant Engineer, G. B. N. Towers. 
Second Assistant Engineer, J. Cox Hull. 
Third Assistant Engineers, Frederick G. 

McKean, Samuel R. Brooks, James J. 

Noble, and Henry W. Phillips. 
Acting Master's Mate, Henry B. Francis. 
Boatswain, Joseph Lewis. 
Gunner, William Cope. 
John Green. 



Steam-Sloop 
Commander, Charles S. Boggs. 
Lieutenant, C. H. Swasey. 
Acting Assistant Surgeon, W. G. Bruce. 
Acting Assistant Paymaster, Charles T. 

Fitch. 
Acting Masters, Ezra Leonard, John D. 

Childs, and David H. Hayden. 
Acting First Assistant Engineer, Robert 

Henry. 

Captain's Clerk, 

Steam-Sloop 

Commander, John De Camp. 
Lieutenant, David B. Harmony, 
Lieutenant, Frederick U. McNair. 
Surgeon, Benjamin Vreeland. 
Paymaster, Robert A. Clark. 
Acting Masters, John F. Harden and John 

McFarland. 
First Assistant Engineer, in charge, John 

H. Long. 



" VarunaP 

Acting Second Assistant Engineer, James 
Schultz. 

Acting Third Assistant Engineers, E. C. 
Mayloy, Samuel Robinson, and George 
L. Harris. 

Acting Gunner, Thomas H. Fortum. 

Acting Master's Mates, Thomas H. Law- 
rence, Silas H. Bevins, Henry D. Fos- 
ter, and James L. Blauvelt. 

E. B. Deshler. \ 

"Iroquois^ 

Second Assistant Engineers, Benjamin 
C. Bampton, E. S. Boynton, Franklin 
K. Hain,f and John H. Hunt. 

Carpenter, John A. Dixon. 

Acting Gunner, William Ryder, 

Paymaster's Clerk, William P. For- 
man. 

Master's Mate, Charles F, Willard. 



5Y4 



APPENDIX. 



Steam-Sloop 

Commander, James Alden. 

Lieutenants, A. Boyd Cummings and Ed- 
ward Terry. 

Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, Thomas F. 
Wade. 

Paymaster, George F. Cutter. 

Surgeon, A. A. Henderson. 

Captain of Marines, Allan Ramsay. 

Assistant Surgeon, John D. Murphy. 

Chief Engineer, John W. Moore. 

Acting Masters, Frederick S. Hill, S. B. 
Coggeshale, and Charles J. Gibbs. 



'•^Richmond.'''' 

First Assistant Engineer, Eben Hoyt, Jr. 

Second Assistant Engineer, J. L. But- 
ler. 

Third Assistant Engineers, Albert W, 
Marley, G. W. W. Dove, R. B. Plotts, 
and Charles E. Emery. 

Acting Third Assistant Engineer, Charles 
J. Cooper. 

Acting Master's Mates, H. F. Moffatt, 
J. Russell Howell, William R. Cox, 
John B. Bradley,* and Robert P. 
Swann. 



Steamer ^^SciotaP 

Lieutenant Commanding, Edward Donald- Acting Masters, A 

son. 
Lieutenant, Henry A. Adams. 
Assistant Surgeon, H. F. McSherry. 
Acting Assistant Paymaster, Charles H. 

Lockwood. , 

Second Assistant Engineer, Charles E. 

De Valin. 



McFarland and 

Graham P. Foster. 
Acting Master's Mates, John H. Field, 

Graham C. Taylor, John H. Staples, 

and S. J. Hazazar. 
Third Assistant Engineers, Edw. Curtis, 

A. H. Price, and H. M. Quigg. 
Captain's Clerk, J. H. Reifenyder. 



Steamer ^^ Katahdin.^'' 



Lieutenant Commanding, Geo. H. Preble. 
Lieutenant, Nathaniel Green. 
Assistant Surgeon, Somerset Robinson. 
Acting Paymaster, R. F. Ladd. 
Acting Masters, George Harris and W. 

H. PoUeys. 
Second Assistant Engineer, T. M. Duke- Captain's Clerk, Edward P. Preble. 

hart. 

Steamer " Winona^ 



Third Assistant Engineers, F. A. R. 

George, William P. Reid, and William 

W. Heaton. 
Acting Master's Mates, George Lemard, 

J. W. Hartshorn, J. W. Thode, and A. 

Whiting. 



Lieutenant Commanding, E. T. Nichols. 
Lieutenant, John G. Walker. 
Assistant Surgeon, Arthur Mathewson. 
Paymaster, Henry M. Denniston. 
Acting Masters, Charles Hallet and Felix 

McCurley. 
Second Assistant Engineer, James P. 

Sprague. 

Steamer ^^ItascaP 

Lieutenant Commanding, C. H. B. Cald- Lieutenant, George Bacon, 
well. Assistant Surgeon, Heber Smith. 



Third Assistant Engineers, Joseph Wal- 
ters, Edward Gay, and Robert F. Hat- 
field. 

Acting Master's Mates, William F. Hunt, 
Alfred Staigg, Frank H. Beers, and 
Charles D. Hammett, Jr. 

Captain's Clerk, A. F. O'Neil. 



PARTICIPANTS AT NEW ORLEANS. 



575 



Assistant Paymaster, Arthur J. Piitch- Benckert, Truman Jones, John Borth- 
ard. wick, and Henry E. Henshaw. 

Acting Masters, Edmund Jones and Amos Acting Master's Mates, Wm. E. Bridges, 
Johnson. Neil Alexander, George Spencer, and 

Third Assistant Engineers, James M. Joseph B. Crane. 
Captain's Clerk, Fitz Henry Price. 

Steamer " Cayuga.'''' 

Napoleon B. Second Assistant Engineer, George W. 

Rogers. 
Third Assistant Engineers, Ralph Aston, 

J. W. Sidney, and J. C. Chaffee. 
Acting Master's Mates, James Gillin, 

Charles Post, Theodore B. Magee, and 

Robert C. Bostwick. 
Captain's Clerk, Charles M. Burns. 

Steamer ^^Pinola.^^ 

Lieutenant Commanding, Pierce Crosby. First Assistant Engineer, John Johnson. 
Lieutenant, A. P. Cooke. Third Assistant Engineers, Peter A. Sasse, 

Assistant Surgeon, Luther M. Lyon. William F. Law, and John Everding. 

Assistant Paymaster, C. S. Warren. Acting Master's Mates, Wm. H. Thomp- 

Acting Masters, Wilham P. Gibbs and son, William C. White, and Charles 
John G. Lloyd. V. Ramuel. 

Steamer " Wissahickon." 
Lieutenant Commanding, A. N. Smith. 
Lieutenant, Edward E. Porter. 
Acting Masters, George Fernig, R. Price 



Lieutenant Commanding 

Harrison. 
Lieutenant, George H. Perkins. 
Assistant Surgeon, Edward S. Boget. 
Acting Assistant Paymaster, J. W. Whif- 

fin. 
Acting Masters, Thomas H. Mortore and 

E. D. Percy. 



Walter, and B. G. Handy. 
Assistant Surgeon, H. Ackley. 
Assistant Paymaster, F, C. Upton. 



Second Assistant Engineer, Thomas S. 

Cunningham. 
Third Assistant Engineers, Augustus 

Mitchell and Philip H. White. 
Acting Master's Mates, Charley M. Bird, 

Imnez M. Forsyth, and 0. L. S. Roberts. 



Steamer "Kmeo." 

Lieutenant Commanding, George M. Ran- 
som. 

Lieutenant A. S. Mackenzie. 

Assistant Surgeon, A. S. Oberly. 

Acting Assistant Paymaster, Henry W. 
Dinian. 

Acting Masters, Oliver Colburn and L. A. 
Brown, 



Second Assistant Engineer, S. Wilkins 

Cragg.f 
Third Assistant Engineers, James Maugh- 

lin, C. F. HolUngsworth, and C. J. Mc- 

Connell. 
Acting Master's Mates, William S. Keen, 

John Bartol, Jr., Walter H. Davis, and 

George A. Faunce. 



Steamer ^^KennehecP 
Lieutenant Commanding, John H. Rus 

sell. 
Lieutenant, T. B. Blake. 



Acting Masters, Henry C. Wade and Wil- 
liam Bi'ooks. 
Assistant Surgeon, Charles H. Perry. 



576 



APPENDIX. 



Acting Assistant Paymaster, C. L. Burnett. 
Second Assistant Engineer, Henry W. 

Fitch. 
Third Assistant Engineers, B. C. Girving, 

L. W. Robinson, and E. E. Roberts. 



Acting Master's Mates, 11. E. Tulkham, 
J. W. Merryman, J. W. Page, and J. 
D. Ellis. 

Captain's Clerk, George P. Lovering. 



Steamer ^^ Harriet LaneP 
Commander D. D. Porter (Commanding Assistant Surgeon, T. N. Penrose. 



Mortar Flotilla). 
Lieutenant Commanding, J. M. Wain- 

wright. 
Lieutenant, Edward Lea. 
Acting Masters, J. A. Hannum, W. F. 

Monroe, and C. H. Hamilton. 
Assistant Paymaster, R. I. Richardson. 



Second Assistant Engineers, M. H. Plun- 

kett and C. H. Stone. 
Third Assistant Engineers, J. E. Cooper, 

A. T. E. Mullin, and Robert N. Ellis. 
Acting Master's Mate, C. M. Davis. 
Captain's Clerk, John B. Norris. 



Steamer "Westjield." 



Commander, William B. Renshaw. 
Acting Masters, C. W. Zimmerman, L. D. 

Smalley, F. C. Miller, Gustav Vassallo, 

and Joseph H. Warren. 
Acting Assistant Surgeon, E. H. AUis. 
Acting Assistant Paymaster, Charles C. 

Walden. 
Second Assistant Engineer, W.R. Greene. 



Third Assistant Engineers, George S. 

Baker, Charles W. Smith, and John 

Van Hogan. 
Acting Midshipman, Stephen A. McCarty. 
Master's Mates, David Harvey, John P. 

Arnette, and William L. Babcock. 
Captain's Clerk, Dudley S. Griffin. 



Steamer "MiamV^ 



Lieutenant-Commander, A. D. Harrell. 
Acting Lieutenant, Robert Townsend. 
Acting Masters, William N. Wells, Mil- 
ford Rogers, and John Lear. 
Assistant Surgeon, David Kindleberger. 



Acting Second Assistant Engineer, L. W. 
Simonds. 

Third Assistant Engineers, Guy Samp- 
son, Henry D. Heisner, and Charles C. 
Davis. 



Acting Assistant Paymaster, William H. Acting Master's Mates, John Quevedo, 

Sells. William H. Harrison, and Robert 

First Assistant Engineer, James F. Lam- Roundtree. 

din. Captain's Clerk, William C, Fay. 



Steamer "J'. 

Lieutenant Commanding, Selim A. Wood- 
worth. 

Surgeon, Thomas S. Yard. 

Paymaster, A. D. Weld. 

Acting Masters, Stephen D. Jay, Charles 
G. Arthur, and Miner B. Crowell. 



P. Jackson!''' 

liam H. Howard, and Albert B. Ax- 
tell. 

Second Assistant Engineer, John B. Mor- 
gan. 

Third Assistant Engineers, James Barnes, 
Samuel Strude, and James D. Cadwell. 



Master's Mates, Jeremiah Murphy, Wil- Captain's Clerk, M. W. Whitlock. 



PAETICIPANTS AT NEW OELEANS. 577 

Mortar Schooner " Norfolk Paclcet.'''' 

Lieutenant Commanding, Watson Smith. Acting Master's Mates, W. E. H. Fentress, 
Assistant Surgeon, A. B. Judson. William Collins, and John Bath, 

Mortar Schooner ^'■T. A. Ward.^' 

Lieutenant Commanding, Walter W. Acting Master's Mates, William Hatch, 
Queen. Geo. W. Wood, and James McDonald. 

Assistant Surgeon, A. A. Hoehling. Captain's Clerk, Archer Tein. 

Mortar Schooner '■'■Horace Bealls.^'' 

Lieutenant Commander, K. R. Breese. Acting Master's Mates, James Becker, 
Acting Master, George W. Sumner. Wm. G. Morris, and Thomas H. Baker. 

Assistant Surgeon, R. T. Edes. Captain's Clerk, Albert W. Bacon. 

Steamer " Clifton.''^ 

Acting Lieutenant Commanding, C. H. Acting Master's Mates, William W, 

Baldwin. Weld, Charles Albert, and Loring 

Acting Masters, Robert Rhodes, B. S. Cannon. 

Weeks, and E. A. Howell. Acting Second Assistant Engineer, James 

Acting Assistant Surgeon, D. D. T. Nes- A. Fox. 

tell. Acting Third Assistant Engineers, S. S. 

Acting Assistant Paymaster, James Wing. VoUum, L. Spanburgh, and P. Finni- 

Midshipmen, Hayden T. French and H. gan. 

B. Rumsey. Captain's Clerk, S. M. Taylor. 

£arJc ^'Houghtotiy 

Acting Master Commanding, Newell Gra- Assistant Paymaster, Clifton Hel- 

ham. len. 

Acting Master's Mates, George R. Clif- Paymaster's Clerk, Henry Gushing. 

ton and Theron W. Squires. 

Mortar Schooner "Henry Janes." 

Acting Master Commanding, Lewis W. Acting Master's Mates, Anthony Soper, 
Pennington. Z. Predmore, and R. W. Spates. 

Mortar Schooner "William Baco7i.^'' 

Acting Master Commanding, William P. son, George W. Law, and Henry E. 

Rogen. Ripley. 

Acting Master's Mates, Chas. D. Thomp- 

Mortar Schooner "Sea-Foam." 

Acting Master Commanding, Henry E. Acting Master's Mates, James Perkins, 
Williams. Joseph Moss, and Ambrose Felix. 



578 APPENDIX. 

Mortar Schooner '■'■Para.'''* 

Acting Master Commanding, E. G. Fur- Acting Master's Mates, Edw. Ryan, Jno. 
ber. McDonough, and W. W. Hughes. 

Mortar Scliooner ^'George Mangham.^'' 

Acting Master Commanding, John Collins. John M. Richards, William 11. Dade, 
Acting Master's Mates, Samuel A. O'Brien, and John Williams. 

Mortar Schooner ''Sarah Brueny 

Acting Master Commanding, Abraham James S. Hyde, and Sylvester Row- 
Christian, land. 
Acting Master's Mates, Niles C. Rider, 

Mortar Schooner "RacerP 
Acting Master Commanding, Alvin Phin- ler, Henry C. Whitmore, and David B. 

ney. Cosey. 

Acting Master's Mates, Everett S. Man- 

Mortar Schooner "0. H. Lee?'* 

Acting Master Commanding, Washington wick, Arthur T. Parsons, and Thomas 

Godfrey. G. Hall. 
Acting Master's Mates, Joseph H. Chad- 

Mortar Schooner "Dan SmithP 
Acting Master's Mates, George W. Brown, Francis W. Towne, Erich Gabrielson, and 

R. S. Sommers. 

Mortar Schooner "Adolph Hugely 

Acting Master Commanding, James Van Acting Master's Mates, Peter Decker and 
Boskirk. W. H. Thompson. 

Mortar Schooner "Maria J. Carletony 
Acting Master Commanding, Charles E. Douglas F. O'Brien, and Gerome B. 

Jack. Johnson. 

Acting Master's Mates, August Adler, 

Mortar Schooner "Sidney C. Jones^ 

Acting Master Commanding, James D. Acting Master's Mates, R. W. Wagstaff, 

Graham. W. C. Graham, and J. W. Cortelyon. 

Mortar Schooner "Sophronia^ 

Acting Master Commanding, Lyman Bar- Acting Master's Mates, E. W. Pelton and 
tholomew. Andrew F. Williamson. 



PARTICIPANTS AT NEW ORLEANS. 579 

Mortar Schooner '■'■Mattheio Vassar.^^ 
Acting Master Commanding, Hugh H. field, David H. Greswold, and George 

Savage. S. Hines. 

Acting Master's Mates, William H. Pen- 

Mortar Schooner "C. P. Williams.'^^ 
Acting Master Commanding, A. R. Lang- William Cowlings, and George C. Pen- 

thon. field. 

Acting Master's Mates, John R, Fegan, 

Mortar Schooner "J! Griffith.'''' 

Acting Master Commanding, Henry Acting Master's Mates, R. M, Clark and 
Brown. Thomas Lavensaler. 

Mortar Schooner ^^ Orvetta.'''' 
Acting Master Commanding, Francis E. Acting Master's Mates, Enos 0. Adams, 
Blanchard. Sanford Randall, and William Munro. 

Mortar Schooner ^''Arietta.'''' 
Acting Master Commanding, Thomas E. Acting Master's Mates, Israel S. Bunce, 
Smith. Sylvim W. Fetchett, and Thos. Devine. 

Coast Survey Steamer "Sachem^ 
Assistant Commanding, F. H. Gerdes. Mates, Eben. Johnson, W. H. Shrively, 

Assistants, J. G. Ottmans, James Harris, W. Thompson, and J. Duffy. 

and Richard D. Halter. Aid, Thomas Bowie. 

Sailing Master, Thomas A. Sears, 



LIST OF VESSELS AND OFFICERS AT THE BATTLE OF 
MOBILE .BAY, AUGUST 5, 1864. 



Steam- Slooj) ''HartforcV {Flag-Ship). 

Rear-Admiral, David G. Farragut. Fleet Surgeon, J. C. Palmer. 

Fleet-Captain, Percival Drayton. Fleet Paymaster, Edward T. Dunn. 

Lieutenant-Commander, Lewis A. Kim- Fleet Engineer, William H. Shock. 

barley. Surgeon, Philip Lansdale. 

Lieutenants, J. Crittenden Watson, A. R. Assistant Surgeons, William Commons 

Yates, Herbert B. Tyson, and La Rue and F. Woolverton. 

P. Adams, f Paymaster, William T. Meredith. 

Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, George Chief Engineer, Thomas Williamson. 

Mundy. Captain Marines, Charles Heywood. 



580 



APPENDIX. 



Rear Admiral's Secretary, Alexander Mc- 
Kinley. 

Acting Ensigns, G. B. D. Glidden, Wil- 
liam H. Whiting, H. H. Brownell, H. 
n. Heginbotham,* Robert D. Bogart, 
and William L. Dana. 

First Assistant Engineer, Edward B. 
Latch. 

Second Assistant Engineers, John Wil- 
son, Isaac De Graff, and H. L. Pelking- 
ton. 

Steam- Sloop 

Captain, Thornton A. Jenkins. 

Lieutenant Commander, Edward Terry. 

Acting Volunteer I/ieutenant, Charles J. 
Gibbs. 

Surgeon, Lewis J. Williams. 

Assistant Surgeon, J. McD. Rice. 

Paymaster, Edwin Stewart. 

Chief Engineer, Jackson McElmell. 

Second Lieutenant Marines, C. L. Sher- 
man. 

Acting Master, Prince S. Borden. 

Ensign, Philip H. Cooper. 

Acting Ensigns, Lewis Clark, Colby M. 
Chester, and Arthur H. Wright. 



Third Assistant Engineer, James E. 
Speights. 

Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Wil- 
liam McEwan,f T. Benton Brown, and 
John D. Thompson. 

Boatswain, Robert Dixon.f 

Paymaster's Clerk, Horatio N. Wood. 

Acting Master's Mates, Richard P. Her- 
rickjf George B. Avery, William H. 
Hawthorne, William H. Childs, and 
Joseph J. Finelli. 

'■^Richmond.'''' 

First Assistant Engineer, Emory J. 
Brooks. 

Second Assistant Engineers, Albert J. 
Kenyon, Absalom Kirby, John D. 
Ford, and Robert Weir. 

Third Assistant Engineers, William H. 
Crawford, Charles W. C. Sartar, James 
W. Patterson, and Thomas McEl- 
mell. 

Acting Master's Mates, James West, 
Theodore J. Werner, William C. Sey- 
mour, and Walter A. De Witt. 

Pilot, William Stewart. 



Captain, J. B. Marchand. 

Lieutenants, Thomas S. Spencer and S. 
A. McCarty.f 

Paymaster, James Fulton. 

Surgeon, T. W. Leach. 

Acting Assistant Surgeon, W. T. Hutch- 
inson. 

Acting Masters, Felix McCurley and John 
H. Allen. 

Ensigns, G. H. Wadleigh and Frank 
Wildes. 



Steam-Sloop "LacJcaioanna.''^ 

Acting Ensign, Clarence Rathbone.f 

First Assistant Engineer, James W. 
Whittaker. 

Second Assistant Engineers, E. J. Whit- 
taker and George W. Roche. 

Third Assistant Engineer, Isaac B. Fort. 

Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Da- 
vid Hennessy and George W. Sulli- 
van. 

Acting Master's Mates, William J. Lewis, 
C. H. Foster, and John C. Palmer. 



Steam-Sloop ^^ Broohlyn.^'' 

Captain, James Alden. Surgeon, George Maulsby. 

Lieutenant Commander, Edward P. Lull. Assistant Surgeon, H. Smith. 

Lieutenants,Thomas L. Swann and Charles Paymaster, Gilbert E. Thornton. 

F. Blake, f Chief Engineer, Mortimer Kellogg. 



PAETICIPANTS AT MOBILE. 



581 



Ensigns, Charles H. Pendleton and C. D. 
Sigsbee. 

Acting Ensigns, John Atter and D. R. 
Cassel.f 

Second Assistant Engineers, John D. 
Toppin, David Hardie, Haviland Bar- 
stow, and George E. Tower. 

Third Assistant Engineers, F. C. Good- 



win, Joel A. Bullard, and William H. 
De Hart. 

Acting Third Assistant Engineer, Henry 
H. Arthur. 

Sailmakej", D. C. Brayton.f 

Acting Master's Mates, Frederick C. Dun- 
can, A. L. Stephens, f and William H. 
Cook.* 



Monitor '■'■ Tecumseh.'''^ 



All drotoned except 

Commander, T. Augustus Craven.* 

Lieutenant, John W. Kelly.* 

Acting Masters, Charles F. Langley and 
Gardner Cottrell. 

Acting Ensigns, John P. Lettic * and Wil- 
liam Titcomb.* 

Chief Engineer, C. Faron.* 

Acting Assistant Surgeon, William A. 
Danker.* 



Langley and Cottrell. 

Acting Assistant Paymaster, George 
Worke.* 

Second Assistant Engineers, F. S. Bar- 
low * and Henry S. Leonard.* 

Acting Second Assistant Engineer, T. Us- 
tick.* 

Acting Third Assistant Engineers, George 
Relter * and James L. Parsons.* 



8tedm-S)loop ^^Monongahelay 



Commander, James H. Strong. 
Lieutenants, Roderick Prentiss * and 0. 

A. Batchenor. 
Surgeon, David Kindleberger. 
Acting Assistant Surgeon, William B. 

Lewis. 
Assistant Paymaster, Forbes Parker. 
Chief Engineer, George E. Kutz. 



Acting Ensigns, D. W. MuUan, James H. 

Rodgers, George Gerard, and P. E. 

Harrington. 
Second Assistant Engineers, Joseph Tril- 

ly, J. J. Bissett, Edward Cheeney, and 

Philip J. Sanger. 
Acting Third Assistant Engineer, Amos 

C. Wilcox. 



Steam-Sloop " Ossipee.^^ 



Commander, William E. Le Roy. 
Lieutenants, J. A. Howell and Richard S. 

Chew. 
Surgeon, B. F. Gibbs. 
Acting Assistant Surgeon, Jon. K. Bacon. 
Paymaster, Edward Foster. 



Second Assistant Engineer, William H. 
Vanderbilt. 

Acting Second Assistant Engineers, Mar- 
tin H. Gerry, James R. Webb, George 
W. Kidder, and Alfred Colin. 

Third Assistant Engineer, John Matthews. 



Acting Chief Engineer, James M. Adams. Acting Third Assistant Engineer, Wil- 

Acting Masters, C. C. Bunker and C. W. liam Collier. 

Adams. Acting Master's Mates, George Pilling 

Acting Ensigns, Charles E. Clark, Henry and Wiliam Merrigood. 

S. Lambert, and William A. Van Vleck. Assistant Gunner, John Q. Adams. 

Steam-Sloop " OneidaP 

Commander, J. R. Madison Mullany.f Charles S. Cotton, and Edward N. 

Lieutenants, Charles L. Huntington, Kellogg. 



582 



APPENDIX. 



Surgeon, John Y. Taylor. 
Acting Paymaster, George R. Martin. 
Chief Engineer, William H. Hunt.f 
Ensign, Charles V. Gridley. 
Acting Ensigns, John L. Hall and John 
Sears. 

Steam- Sloop 

Commander, Edward Donaldson. 

Surgeon, John I. Gibson. 

Paymaster, Levi J. Stockwell. 

Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, John A. 
Johnston. 

Acting Master, William A. Marine. 

Acting Ensigns, Francis Kempton, Wal- 
ter S. Church, and David K. Perkins. 



FirstAssistantEngineer,ReubenH.Fitch.f 
Acting Third Assistant Engineers, W. E. 

Deaver and Nicholas Dillon. 
Acting Master's Mates, Edward Bird, 

Daniel Clark, and John Devereaux. 
Pilot, John V. Grivet. 

^^ Seminole.'''' 

Acting First Assistant Engineers, Claude 
Babcock and Alvin R. Calden. 

Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Wil- 
liam Drinkwater, Patrick I. Hughes, 
and William H. Whiting. 

Acting Master's Mates, C. A. Thome and 

Henry Webb. 
Captain's Clerk, George A, Ebbets.f 



Iron- Clad " Winnebago.''^ 



Commander, Thomas H. Stevens. 

Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, William F. 
Shankland. 

Acting Master, Austrony S. Megathlin. 

Acting Ensigns, James Whitworth, Mi- 
chael Murphy, and John Morrisey. 

Acting Assistant Paymaster, Henry Ger- 
rard. 

Acting Assistant Surgeon, Joseph G. Bell. 

Acting Chief Engineer, Simon Shultice. 

First Assistant Engineer, John Purdy. 



Acting First Assistant Engineers, James 

Monroe and John Wilson. 
Acting Second Assistant Engineers, E. L. 

Morse and Philip Allman. 
Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Robert 

D. Wright, James W. Quinn, James 

Morris, and Thomas J. Myers. 
Acting Master's Mates, Henry C. Atter, 

John L. Hall, William Edgar, and 

Charles S. Lyons. 
Acting Gunner, Robert Sherman. 



Monitor '^ Manhattan.''^ 
Commander, J. W. A. Nicholson. 
Lieutenant, E. M. Schoonmaker. 
Acting Master, Robert B. Ely. 
Acting Chief Engineer, C. L. Carty. 
Assistant Surgeon, John H. Austin. 
Acting Assistant Paymaster, H. G. Thayer. 
Acting Ensigns, John B. Trott, George 
B. Mott, and Peter France. 



Acting First Assistant Engineer, William 
H. Miller. 

Acting Second Assistant Engineers, James 
B. Farrand and Thomas Finnic. 

Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Ed- 
ward Misset, Charles F. Stroud, and 
Harrie Webster. 



Steamer ^^ Galena.'''' 
Lieutenant-Commander, Clark H. Welles. First Assistant Engineer, Wm.G. Buehler. 
Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, Charles W. Acting Assistant Paymaster, Theodore 



Wilson. 
Acting Master, D. W. C. Kells, 



Kitchen. 
Acting Assistant Surgeon, Geo. P. Wright. 



PARTICIPANTS AT MOBILE. 



583 



Acting Ensigns, Henry Pease, Jr., and 

Sandford S. Miner. 
Second Assistant Engineers, Charles H. 

Greenleaf and John A. Scot. 



Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Pat- 
rick Burns and William Welcker. 

Acting Master's Mates, Francis Tuttle 
and James H. Delano. 



Steamer " ConemaugTiP 



Lieutenant - Commander, J. C. P. De- 

Krafft. 
Acting Masters, J. W. Stapleford and 

James F. Alcorn. 
Assistant Surgeon, J. J. AUingham. 
Acting Assistant Paymaster, C. E. Taylor. 
Acting Ensigns, William A. Byrnes, J. 

D. Hademan, and William F. Dolliver. 



Acting First Assistant Engineer, A. La- 
point. 

Acting Second Assistant Engineers, P. H. 
Kendricken and Robert Whitehill. 

Acting Third Assistant Engineers, J. 
F. Knowlton and Thomas Kidd. 

Acting Master's Mates, John Bowman, 
John K. Myttinger, and Wm, Campbell. 



Steamer "Port RoyalP 



Lieutenant-Commanders, Bancroft Ghe- 

rardi and Thomas C. Bowen. 
Acting Masters, Edward Herrick and 

Thomas M. Gardner. 
Acting Assistant Surgeon, Edward R. 

Hutchins. 
Acting Assistant Paymaster, Frank K. 

Moore. 
Acting Ensigns, William Hull and For- 

tesque S. Hopkins. 



Acting First Assistant Engineer, Fletcher 

A. Wilson. 
Second Assistant Engineers, Francis B. 

Allen and Henry Snyder, 
Acting Second Assistant Engineer, John 

B. McGavern. 
Third Assistant Engineer, W. C. F. Rei- 

chenbuck. 
Acting Master's Mates, Eugene V. Tyson, 
Henry D. Baldwin, William A. Pres- 
cott, and Samuel S. Bumpus. 

Steamer "Metacomet.''^ 



Lieutenant-Commander, James E. Jouett. 

Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, Henry J. 
Sleeper. 

Acting Masters, N. M. Dyer and John 0. 
Morse. 

Acting Assistant Surgeon, E. D. Payne. 

Acting Assistant Paymaster, H. M. Ham- 
man. 

Acting Ensigns, George E. Wing, John 
White, and Henry C. Nields. 

Steamer " OctororaP 



First Assistant Engineer, James Atkins. 
Second Assistant Engineer, George P. 

Hunt. 
Third Assistant Engineers, George B. 

Rodgers, James H. Nash, and D. W. 

King. 
Acting Master's Mates, J. K. Goodwin 

and Rufus N. Miller. 
Pilot, John H. Collins. 



Lieutenant - Commander, Charles H. 

Greene, f 
Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, William 

D. Urann. 
Acting Masters, H. S. Young and Henry 

R. Billings, t 



Assistant Surgeon, Edward R. Dodge. 
Acting Assistant Paymaster, Joseph H. 

Pynchon. 
Acting Ensign, George H. Dodge. 
Acting First Assistant Engineers, William 

W. Shipman and M. N. McEntee.f 



584 



APPENDIX. 



Second Assistant Engineer, Rozeau B. Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Joseph 

Plotts. Knight and Gustar W. Best. 

Acting Second Assistant Engineer, Jarol Acting Master's Mates, George P. GifEord 

Huber. and George W. Adams. 



Steamer '■'■KenneheeP 
Lieutenant-Commander, Wm. P. McCann. Acting Ensigns, John J. Butler, Hosea E. 

Tinkham,f and Joseph D. Ellis. 
Second Assistant Engineers, Lewis W. 

Robinson and John S. Pearce. 
Acting Third Assistant Engineer, James 



Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, Edward 

Baker. 
Acting Assistant Paymaster, Edward T. 

Barker. 
Acting Assistant Surgeon, George W. 

Hatch. 



Eccles. 



Steamer ^^Sehagoy 



Lieutenant-Commander, William E. Fitz- 

hugh. 
Acting Master, Jerome B. Rogers. 
Acting Assistant Surgeon, T. Munsen 

Coan. 
Assistant Paymaster, Henry A. Strong. 
Acting Ensigns, Charles B. Dorrance,* E. 

D. Martin, and Samuel G. Blood. 



Acting First Assistant Engineer, Wm. 
Morris, 

Acting Second Assistant Engineer, W. P. 
Agers. 

Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Rob- 
ert Miller, Bernard Kerby, and Frank- 
lin Babcock. 

Acting Master's Mates, Thomas Ellsmon 
and Ephraim R. Foster. 



Steamer '■'■PinolaP 



Lieutenant-Commander, Oscar F. Stanton. 

Acting Assistant Paymaster, A. B. Rob- 
inson. 

Acting Assistant Surgeon, A. T. Hanson. 

Acting Ensigns, Charles V, Rummell, 
James W. Brown, William Symonds, 
and Albion P. Gibbs. 



Second Assistant Engineer, Howard D. 

Potts. 
Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Samuel 

A. Appold, Philip Ketler, Francis E. 

Hasmer, and Patrick H. Friel. 
Acting Master's Mate, John Rosling. 



Steamer ^^ItascaP 



Lieutenant-Commander, George Brown. 

Acting Master, Richard Hustace. 

Acting Assistant Paymaster, Alfred G. 
Lathrop. 

Acting Assistant Surgeon, Henry Brock- 
wood. 

Acting Master's Mates, L. E, 



Acting Ensigns, Charles H. Hurd, James 

Igo, and Edward S. Lowe. 
Second Assistant Engineers, John Both- 

wick and George C. Irelan. 
Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Charles 

A. Laws and Alfred Hoyt. 
Heath and Marcus Chapman. 



Steamer "I'einbma.^^ 
Lieutenant-Commander, J. G. Maxwell. Acting Assistant Surgeon, A. R. Holmes. 



Acting Master, Bowen Allen. 



Acting Paymaster, Walter Fuller. 



PARTICIPANTS AT MOBILE. 



585 



Acting Ensigns, "William Lyddon, Brad- Second Assistant Engineers, James W. 
dock M. Chester, Charles Putnam, and Sidney and Richard M. Hodgson. 
Charles L. Crandall. Third Assistant Engineer, Chas. F. Nagle. 

Acting Master's Mate, Henry T. Davis. 

Monitor " Chickasato." 



Lieutenant-Commander, George H. Per- 
kins. 

Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, Wm. Ha- 
milton. 

Acting Masters, Ezekiel D. Percy and E. 
B. Pike. 

Acting Chief Engineer, William Rodgers. 

Acting Assistant Paymaster, Edmund S. 
Wheeler. 

Acting Assistant Surgeon, Garrett D. 
Buckner. 

Acting Ensigns, George L. Jorden and J. 
Louis Harris. 

Steamer "tT. 

Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, S. W. Pen- 
nington. 

Acting Assistant Surgeon, Thomas S. 
Yard. 

Acting Assistant Paymaster, Charles B. 
Perry. 

Acting Ensigns, Robert Henderson, Wm. 
H. Howard, and Jos. H. Wainwright. 



Acting First Assistant Engineer, Charles 

Chadwick. 
Acting Second Assistant Engineers, Elisha 

P. Bartlett, James J. Maratta, and 

Thomas H. Nelson. 
Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Albert 

H. Goff, Sarin Whitehead, Alexander 

H. Wiggins, Alfred Wilkinson, Henry 

Wentworth, and George Harris. 
Acting Master's Mates, Allen A. Mann, 

M. F. Kershaw, M. G. Jones, and F. A. 

Case. 
Gunner, John A. McDonald. 

P. Jackson.'''' 

Acting Second Assistant Engineer, Chas. 

Goodwin. 
Acting Third Assistant Engineers, James 

D. Cadwell, Albert Mayer, John E. 

Hease, and L. R. Burgoyne. 
Acting Master's Mates, Achilles Kalinski 

and Charles Heath. 



Steamer " CoiosUpy 



Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, Charles G. 
Arthur. 

Acting Ensign, John Dennett. 

Acting Second Assistant Engineer, Ben- 
jamin S. Cook. 

Acting Third Assistant Engineer, John 
Miller. 



Acting Master's Mate, Jacob Teal. 
Acting Third Assistant Engineer, J. R. 

Davidson. 
Acting Master's Mates, Frederick A. 

Grass, Jr., and J. P. Canfield. 
Acting Second Assistant Engineer, John 

Rogers. 



Acting Master, William T. Bacon. 
Steamer ^^ Stockdaley 



Acting Volunteer Lieutenant, Thomas 
Edwards. 

Acting Master, Spiro V. Bennis. 

Acting Assistant Paymaster, J. W. Day. 

Acting Second Assistant Engineer, Alex- 
ander M. Geary. 



Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Wil- 
liam Cromwell and Ambrose Kim- 
ball. 

Acting Master's Mates, Frederick H. 
Johnson, Charles H. Cleveland, and 
Daniel Dennis. 



586 APPENDIX. 

Steamer "Buckthorn." 

Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Command- Acting Second Assistant Engineer, Robert 

ing, Washington Godfrey. A. Copeland. 

Acting Master's Mates, Benjamin F. Rob- Acting Third Assistant Engineers, Ed- 
inson, Henry J. Wyned, and Henry A. ward R. Hubbard and Alfred 0. Til- 
Mayo, den. 

Steamer "Genesee.''^ 

Acting Master, George E. Nelson. Second Assistant Engineers, F. D. Stewart 

Acting Assistant Paymaster, Charles H. and Thomas Fitzgerald. 

Lockwood. Acting Third Assistant Engineers, George 

Assistant Surgeon, Francis H. Atkins. W. Kiersted and Thomas Campbell. 

Acting Ensign, William F. Bacon. Acting Master's Mates, H. E. Giraud and 

Acting First Assistant Engineer, David A. H. Morgan. 

Frazier. 

Steam,er "Glasgo^o." 

Acting Master, Richard J. Hoffner. Acting Second Assistant Engineer, Robert 

Acting Ensign, Charles Welles. S. Lytle. 

Second Assistant Engineer, John F. Bing- Acting Third Assistant Engineer, John 
ham. McAutiffe. 

Acting Master's Mates, John F. Baker and William Jones. 

Steamer "£Jstrella." 

Acting Master, G. P. Pomeroy. Acting First Assistant Engineer, Robert 

Acting Ensign, W. W. Duley. G. Pope. 

Acting Assistant Surgeon, W. H. Kin- Acting Third Assistant Engineers, George 

ney. R. Marble and James F. Winters. 

Acting Assistant Paymaster, Peter H. Acting Master's Mates, E. G. Caswell and 

Taws. F. A. Sherman. 

Steamer "Narcissus." 
Acting Ensign, William G. Jones. Acting Master's Mates, Charles R. Marple 

Acting Third Assistant Engineers, John and Edward A. Moorse. 
L. Young and William Pancake. 




